Tuesday, May 22, 2012

As the summer approaches, my thoughts turn to bullet-proofing my makeup to last the course of a hot, tiring day.  I don’t know about you but despite my dry skin, the first to make a dash for freedom is any and all makeup down the bridge of my nose.  Then my eyeliner melts into my tear ducts, developing into hugely attractive eye bogies before the last of my foundation gives up the ghost and literally puddles in the area where my nose meets my face (hello face).  If it’s really hot, my eyeliner will also strive for symmetry and create matching lines across my upper eyelid where the “hoods” rest gently on the lash-line.  It’s a beautiful sight to behold.

Bobbi Brown’s new Long-Wear Eye Collection promises to stay the distance without letting you down or showing you up.  The eye pencils from the new collection are richly-coloured and deeply-pigmented.  They’re creamy and have that soft, gel formula reminiscent of my beloved Avon Mega Impact/Supershock Gel Eyeliner (whatever they’re bleedin’ being called at the moment).

The Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Eye Pencils* are available in six shades: Jet, Mahogany, Black Navy, Black Plum, Hunter and Smoke, providing a colour option whatever your personal taste.  I really like an off-black range that carries the density of an inky black but without the harshness on maturing features.  Not that my features are maturing, shutup.

These pencils haven’t given me any trouble sharpening, the uber-softness of the Avon ones means that I do need to chill them in the fridge for half an hour prior to sharpening, total pain when you need a pencil stat.  I didn’t have to do this with the Bobbi Brown pencils.

Mahogany is swatched on the left, Smoke on the Right.  You can see the density of pigment is really quite impressive.  It’s a teeny bit less pigmented than the Avon offerings (which are insanely pigmented) but as I said earlier, they do provide a little more precision during application thanks to a firmer texture.

Here are the same swatches after scrubbing the back of my hand with soap and water for a good 30/40 seconds.  I was impressed that they didn’t smear or transfer as I swiped and rubbed.  You can see that the pigment has eroded in places but if you imagine that swatch as drawn across your lash-line, I think you’d be fairly happy to emerge from the swimming pool 3-hours later with that much still intact no?

Unfortunately, whilst I think these pencils are brilliant.  This is where the praise ends.

I’ve been comparing these all along to the Avon SuperShock Gel Eyeliner pencils (which don’t come in as many shades admittedly) simply because the Avon ones are my benchmark and indeed, my daily staples.  As I swatched both alongside one another, I expected the Bobbi Brown ones to outlast the Avon.  They don’t.  They wear identically both on the back of my hand and on my waterline, around 5 hours.

The Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Eye Pencils are priced at £17 each.  The Avon SuperShock Gel Eyeliner pencils are currently priced at £4 each.  And there’s the rub, I’m not going to recommend that you spend extra money needlessly… both are fabulous long-wearing, densely pigmented pencil liners.  The Avon ones are substantially cheaper.

The Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Eye Pencils are available to buy on counter and online from BobbiBrown.co.uk

* press samples


Bourjois Khol & Contour Shadow and Light Pencils

Posted by Lipglossiping On March - 30 - 2012
Jen is from London and works in PR/Social Media.  She’s a bonafide beauty junkie with a self-confessed “mild” shopping problem!  The following article is a guest submission, you can read more from Jen at A Beauty Junkie in London.


Hello!  Jen from A beauty junkie in London here!  Whilst Charlotte is away on her holidays (not that I’m jealous at all) I’m doing a little guest post for you!

Here’s a little look at the new Khol & Contour Shadow and Light Pencils* from Bourjois.  These pencils each include a light and dark liner shade that compliment each other.  The light shade in each of the pencils has a metallic sheen to it whilst the darker one is matte.

IMG_6510
Bourjois Khol & Contour Shadow and Light Pencils
IMG_6516
Natural Light
IMG_6512
With Flash

Shade wise, the dark shades are all consistently pigmented and feel creamy when used.  Of all of them, the navy blue is the weakest in colour pay off.  The paler shades on the other hard really vary, of course as they are the paler shades the colour pay off naturally contrasts with the darker ones… but when looked at alongside each other the ‘dragee’ shade (the one with the blue) is a bit lame.  So overall, the marine/dragee shade is my least favourite.

I also found that the texture of the lighter shade was a little crumbly, with the tip of the pencil breaking off of when I went to swatch them – because of this I’d definitely swatch them before first use as you don’t’ really want it going in your eye.

The two stand out colour pairings are the khaki and the champagne gold and the brown and the ‘caramel’ purely on the strength of the pigment and how the colour combinations are safe and neutral – but still slightly more unusual. If I was to choose one, I’d go with the khaki/champagne!

* press samples

If you would like to submit a non-commercial post to be considered for inclusion on Lipglossiping.com, please email for more details.

If you’re a little colour-shy when it comes to your eye makeup, coloured liners are the best place to start.  You can introduce a full spectrum of shades without turning too many heads just by adding a pop of colour to the waterline.  My favourite way to wear brights is with a flash of colour just beneath my lower lashes, it brings brightness to my eyes and makes me look a lot bolder than I feel!

Estee Lauder have released two Intense Kajal Eye Crayons this Spring, a chunky pencil with a creamy formula that lends itself well to both lining and using as a shadow.  If you’re looking for that pop of colour, might I point you in the direction of 03 Dramatic Teal, a shade that I can see flattering most, if not all, skintones.

Not much to look at in their generic stubby pencil-form, these crayons glide without pulling and yet remain firm enough to achieve some truly precise strokes across the eyelid.  The tip stays strong despite pressure and deposits nothing but creamy colour in its wake.

You need to allow around 2 minutes for the pencil to set fast and if your eyelids are particularly oily, you may find these migrate a little.  For normal complexions, these should set and hold throughout the day.  The only time I had any bother was when wearing a moisturising primer, combined with a cream foundation and to be fair – I was an oil-slick by lunchtime everywhere.

Both shades are limited edition, if you pick up one thing from the Spring Collection, let this be it.

Estee Lauder Intense Kajal Eye Crayon in 03 Dramatic Teal & 01 Dramatic Black are priced at £17 a-piece and available on counter and online from boots.com – the teal appears to be sold out everywhere else!

Estee Lauder Pure Color Cyber Eyes: Swatches & FOTD

Posted by Lipglossiping On December - 29 - 2011

Following on from the Summer success that was Estee Lauder’s Illuminating Powder Gelee with it’s “tribrid” Prisma Shine™ technology, the brand have created a collection of six new eye-shadows that make use of this all-in-one liquid, powder and gel texture.

“A lot of drama on the eyes creates sensuality, a sexiness. Smokey eyes are sexy and playful and I wanted to give women different ways to wear the look, anytime.”  Tom Pecheux, Creative Makeup Director, Estée Lauder

The unusual formula strives to create an eyeshadow that applies as smoothly as a cream, gives a molten metal-esque gel shine whilst wearing like a powder.  Having played with the collection over Christmas, I don’t feel the creaminess in the formula quite as I did in the Illuminating Powder Gelee but the bounce and soft texture are equal to the brand’s previous creation.

The six shades available in the limited edition Pure Color Gelée Powder EyeShadow (£19) range are:

Cyber Copper; Cyber Pink; Cyber Lilac; Cyber Silver; Cyber Green; and Cyber Teal (not shown).

Designed to be applied with both a dry and a wet brush, I’ve swatched them all on bare skin to show the difference between the two types of application.  With some shades, the difference is extremely noticeable as the metallic shine amps up to extraordinary proportions!

A few points to note about the shades…

Cyber Copper is the “brown” in the set, a great crease colour that is unlikely to let you down.  Should work particularly well with blue/green eyes thanks to the underlying warm, copper tones.

Cyber Pink is best used as a highlight shade, on my pale skin it blends out a crease colour nicely without adding too much glitz when used dry.  Also works beautifully tapped beside the tear ducts with a wet brush for some super sparkle.

Cyber Lilac is one of the most versatile shades in the collection.  Used dry, it is beautiful swiped over a standard taupey-brown crease colour, adding a real 3rd dimension to the proceedings.  Wet, well… it’s simply a stunning metallic purple.

Cyber Green is, in my opinion, the must-have in the collection, though hardly ‘green’ — this is a black with antique-gold sparkles that positively shine when applied with a damp brush.

Cyber Silver is a more wearable alternative to standard silver being less glitzy or obviously metallic than other silver eyeshadows in my collection.  I like to wear this dry, layered over another shade to give greater dimension.

All shades blend smoothly, particularly when applied dry.  My favourite method of application is to apply the shadow dry with a brush before wetting the foam applicator and reapplying in areas I’d like to build greater intensity.  Despite the all-singing, all-dancing formula, I’m not sure that colour-wise they really offer anything hugely new BUT (and this is a big but), I haven’t achieved such longevity from an eyeshadow ever.  These babies wear like nothing else, all day long with no fading or creasing.  For reals.

Cyber Lilac and Cyber Green are my top picks.

Also included in the collection are six new Pure Color Intense Kajal Eye Liners (£16) in shades:

Blackened Black (01); Blackened Cocoa (02); Blackened Plum (03); Blackened Sapphire (04); Blackened Olive (05); and Electric Teal (not shown).

Described as containing 70% pure pigments that can be used on the inner or outer rim, I’ve found them to share the same long-lasting qualities as the eye shadows.  Wear is particularly impressive on the inner rim where the colour fades but doesn’t run or disappear completely.

From the shades shown above, only 05 (Blackened Olive) is a limited edition shade, the rest will make their way to the permanent line.  I found 04 (Blackened Sapphire) to be much harder in texture than the rest and was the only one to need warming-up prior to application.  You can see from the swatch that there is a bit of skipping in the application and from the set, it would be the one I wouldn’t recommend.

05 (Blackened Olive) and 02 (Blackened Cocoa) are my top picks.

For a ‘mini’ collection, it’s not particularly compact and as a huge fan of Estee Lauder’s Sumptuous Colour mascaras, I am delighted to see the inclusion of three new Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascaras (£22) in shades:

Extreme Teal; Extreme Violet; and Extreme Copper (not shown).

All of the coloured mascaras in the Cyber Eyes Collection are sadly limited edition and if you’ve never tried a coloured mascara before, I recommend that this is the place you start.  Estee Lauder’s coloured mascaras never make sacrifices on quality of product for the sake of injecting some fancy colour into the formula and the new shades that I have infront of me are both beautiful.

You walk a fine line with coloured mascaras, it’s easy to over-egg the effect with high street options and look like you’ve stepped off the set of Dynasty.  These are understated but have enough welly behind them to make people take a second glance!  Such a fun way to complete a look.

I put together a FOTD with some of the products.  The light was fading quickly so you’ll have to excuse the graininess in some of the pictures.

I’ll list the products used at the end.

Cyber Lilac on the lids (used dry, then reapplied wet on the lid (with sponge) once the crease colour was in place)
Cyber Green in the crease (dry)
Cyber Lilac under the eyes (wet, with a precision brush)
Cyber Pink in the inner corner to highlight (wet, with a precision brush)

Blackened Olive to line the inner rims (both top and bottom).

For the purposes of a useful FOTD, I applied a single coat of both shades of mascara, you can see in the closeup photo which eye shows which mascara!

The NEW Pure Color Cyber Eyes Collection* is available at Estée Lauder counters nationwide and online at www.esteelauder.co.uk

Are you lemming anything from this collection?  Already made your purchases?!

* press sample

Kiss Me Heroine Make Smooth Liquid Eyeliner

Posted by Lipglossiping On October - 24 - 2011

I’ve heard SO much about this eyeliner over the past couple of years and following my semi-disappointment with my Illamasqua Precision Ink, I was in the market for trying out something new.  Combine this with a late night mooch around eBay, and the rest (as they say…) is history.

Kiss Me Heroine Make Smooth Liquid Eyeliner is the finest-tipped eyeliner pen I’ve used.  It’s a brush tip rather than a felt tip and the bristles hold together tightly to provide a very tight line.

I find the formula to be quite watery and it can bleed a little but thankfully dries very quickly.  For a very dark line, you’d need to make a couple of passes which is a shame.

I paid around £10 for mine (inc. shipping) which brings it well under high-end prices but toward the top end of high street.  It does fade throughout the day and I’m not going to give this holygrail status simply because I’m not completely sold on the formula.  The precision brush though?  Well, it’s an absolute dream for winging out.

The above photo shows one pass and you can see that it could do with a second swipe, there’s a hint of feathering but check out that sharp wing!

Kiss Me Heroine Make Smooth Liquid Eyeliner is available to buy on eBay (prices vary).

What’s your favourite eyeliner at the moment?

 

Review: Smashbox Soft Focus Powder Eyeliner

Posted by Lipglossiping On September - 27 - 2011

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?

Estee Lauder Autumn 2011 Modern Mercury – Graphite Liquid Eyeliner

Posted by Lipglossiping On August - 11 - 2011

Estee Lauder’s Autumn 2011 collection goes by the name Modern Mercury and includes three limited edition Pure Color Liquid Eyeliners in a trio of metallic shades.

I’ve got one of the three shades here to show you: Graphite.  A sparkling charcoal with multi-coloured shimmer that makes such a lovely change from black.  I’m already a big fan of charcoal eyeliner, it provides a softer look that still carries a bit of impact.  Infact, I’m wearing my Lord & Berry in this post on another item from the Modern Mercury collection!

Long-handled, slender and well-designed with a flexible, soft nib for drawing precision lines, the Graphite liquid liner ticks most of the boxes.  I prefer this design to spindly brushes or chunky nibs as I find they offer the greatest compromise between control and precision.

The inky formula is well pigmented and opaque within two strokes.  It dries very quickly to a smudge-proof, water-proof finish providing a metallic gleam that manages to avoid the ‘wet-look’.

It’s all great so far huh?  Except, there is one problem… it flakes.  You’ll get to around 90% satisfaction before this bothers you but really?  It shouldn’t flake at all and it’s a bugbear for me.  It won’t stop me wearing it but it will stop me wearing it with complete confidence.  The above photo was taken about 5 hours into my day and you can see that it’s holding up pretty well but there is evidence of some flaking going on… a few specks around my eyes and a little caught in my eyelashes.

You can’t see in the above photo but the top edge of the line is no longer perfect, this is the first area to show signs of wear.  I’m being pernickity (as always) but when I’m reviewing an eyeliner that costs £19.00 – it’s only right that I am.

How about some comparisons?  I dug around in my eyeliner drawer (it’s only a little drawer, I’m not completely mad) and pulled out a few that seemed fairly close (ok, the last one is MILES off!):

1.  Barry M Metallic Liquid Eyeliner #1
2.  Chantecaille Luminous Eye Liner in Pianissimo
3.  Estee Lauder Pure Color Liquid Eyeliner in Graphite
4.  Lord & Berry Liquid Eyeliner in Slate
5.  Chantecaille Luminous Eye Liner in Allegro
6.  NARS Liquid Eyeliner in Bullitt

Most of these are now discontinued but luckily, the one that bears the closest resemblance isn’t!  Again, it’s Barry M that’s coming up to be the nearest in terms of shade duping so if you’re on a budget, check it out!

Estee Lauder Pure Color Liquid Eyeliner in Graphite (£19.00) is available on counter now and online at Estee Lauder.

Do you wear grey eyeliner?  What’s your favourite?

Staying Perfect with Boots No7

Posted by Lipglossiping On February - 16 - 2011

Whenever I buy from Boots No7, I feel like I’m taking a bit of a gamble.  Each purchase I make tends to polarise my opinion and I either end up LOVING the product… big LOVE, not just fleeting love (lip liners, exceptional definition mascara, eye mousse) or out and out hating it (most no7 foundations, shower oil).

I just don’t seem to occupy much middle ground where this brand is concerned.  With that in mind, I was curious to see how I’d like the bits I was recently sent from the range.

From left to right – Amazing Eyes Liner in black, Blush tint in 15 Blossom and Stay Perfect lipstick in 45 Tranquil Rose.

Let’s start with the liner…

Not my favourite type of application brush but perfect for thinner lines and precise flicks.  I’m a touch clumsy so generally fare better with felt tip type brushes.  Having said that, the formula is inky black, true and long-lasting.  The brush holds together beautifully to achieve dainty flicks with relative ease.

No7 Amazing Eyes Liquid Eye Liner is priced at £8.75 and available in black or brown online.

Blush sticks are always a temptation for me, they’re so portable and quick to apply.  The No7 Blush Tint in 15 Blossom is no exception, infact… it’s particularly foolproof.  It’s sheer with a non-greasy feel and applies well over both liquid and powder foundation thanks to a non-sticky, powder-finish.  I swipe this across my cheek back and forward about 5 times to build up the intensity before blending the edges with my fingers.

If you struggle with blush I can’t emphasise enough how well I think you’d get on with this product.  I’ve popped this one in my handbag because it gives me a really natural flush that I can touch up without even needing a mirror.  Really delighted with it’s performance.  I’d like to see No7 release this in more shades.

No7 Blush Tint Cream Blush is available online in Rosebud, Blossom and Clove, priced at £10.

Finally, No7 Stay Perfect lipstick in 45 Tranquil Rose.  First impressions are that it isn’t very ‘rose’ like… it’s far more vivid and corally than I’d expect for it’s name.  Second impression was a distinct “Woah!” when I applied and saw how pigmented it was… I ended up reaching for my lip brush to ensure a neat application.  If you go over the lines with this one, you’re gonna notice it!

For a long-lasting lipstick it’s remarkably creamy to apply but it will accentuate signs of lip dryness after a couple of hours.  And how about that wear?  Without eating… I achieved 5 hours of near-perfect wear but with eating… I needed to top up immediately afterward because the colour had still clung so well to the edges, it left a distinct ring!

I’m going to look into the other shades available as I do believe that Cherry might be calling my name!

No7 Stay Perfect Lipstick is available in 16 shades online, priced at £10 each.

Swatches from L-R: Amazing Eyes Liner, Stay Perfect Lipstick in Tranquil Rose and Blush Tint in Blossom.

A quick FOTD featuring the three products reviewed above.  How killer is that lipstick shade?!

Do you have any No7 staples that you return to time and time again?

Urban Decay 15-Year Anniversary 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil Set

Posted by Lipglossiping On February - 1 - 2011

This here post be ALL about the pictures…

The Packaging…

Read the rest of this entry »

Avon Glimmersticks Diamonds Eye Liner

Posted by Lipglossiping On October - 30 - 2010

Something else that caught my eye during the recent Avon event were their range of Glimmerstick Diamond Eye Liners.  Being the magpie that I am, my eyes were drawn to these sparkly creations from 20ft away.

Currently available in a range of 6 colours, I was lured in by the cool tones and made off with the blue and plum shades named: Twilight Sparkle and Sugar Plum respectively.

I do love pencil eyeliners, they’re so versatile and I often use smudged coloured liners as an alternative to eyeshadow on lazy days.  I thought that these might bring a bit of sparkle to the festive season… and I was right!

The texture of the Avon Glimmersticks Diamond Eye Liners is a little hard and they definitely benefit from being warmed up on the back of my hand before applying to the delicate eye area.  Although in stick form, they look hugely glittery… once applied, the effect is somehow sophisticated.  It’s not subtle… but it’s not childish glitterbomb either.

The base colour of the liner holds the sparkle successfully without too much fall out, even after smudging.

Of the two shades that I was given, Twilight Sparkle is the knock out… it’s truly luminous and I’m loving adding a small amount of this under my lower lashes to spice up a bronze eye.  I haven’t applied these along the waterline because I’m not OK with the idea of having glitter so close to my eyeballs but they wear most of the day applied along the lashline.

One issue I have found with these is that the lid is quite hard to remove!  I destroyed the nib of Twilight Sparkle (as you can see in the photo) because I really had to yank at the top to remove… which resulted in a clumsy side swipe and a swift guillotine action!

The Avon Glimmersticks Diamonds Eye Liners are currently half price on the Avon website, priced at £3 each.  An absolute steal, I assure you!

While I’ve got your attention… I’ve updated my original Avon SuperShock Gel Eyeliner post to include a photo and a swatch of the liner in Silver as per your requests.  You can find the link here (scroll to the bottom for the update).

Avon SuperShock Gel Eyeliner – Review & Comparison

Posted by Lipglossiping On October - 15 - 2010

So, the other day/week/month…. whenever it was (they’re blurring)… I told you about the new Avon SuperShock Gel Eyeliners that I’d had a look at during the Avon Christmas collex launch.   I also told you about not being able to remove them with plain ol’ soap and water which resulted in me looking a bit grubby while I was on an overnighter in London.

I thought I’d compare it a little more closely to some of the other eyeliners I have in my stash that are generally well-regarded throughout the blogging community… so without further ado…

It’s got that fancy-schmancy luxe lace packaging going on… I’ve noticed that these eyeliners have currently disappeared from the website, so I’m guessing that’s ‘cos they’re about to be relaunched in the new packaging for Xmas.

Not retractable or any of that jazz, just your standard-looking eye pencil!

The black is VERY black.  Pigmented to the max and easily the softest eye pencil I own.  I barely need to touch this to my eyelid to create a defined and solid line.  Can you say impressive?  As with most soft/glidey eyeliners, it does mean that this needs more frequent sharpening than it’s counterparts… but your poor sensitive eyelids will thank you for the drag-free application.

Here’s 4 of some of the most highly regarded pencil eyeliners available.  I think you might be able to clearly pick out which packs the biggest punch in terms of pigmentation no?  The above artistic squiggles show one swipe each.

How about lasting power?  I swiped MULTIPLE times over my entire hand with a wet wipe…

Urban Decay… as much as I love you… you fail.

GOSH?  Close… but no cigar.

MUFE performed slightly better than Avon in the longwear test (conducted whilst I was wearing something that looked nothing like an official lab coat – probably my pyjamas) but the pigmentation just wasn’t there to begin with.

So… finally… how about a price comparison?

MUFE – £11.50
Avon – £6.00
GOSH – £4.99
Urban Decay – £11.50

There are a few other factors to take into consideration.  Of all ranges, Avon has the least shades available… I think there are only around 3 or 4, so great coloured eyeliners will still have to be sought elsewhere…

…But if you’re looking for a fabulously pigmented, long-lasting black eyeliner that won’t break the bank.  Better make friends with your local Avon lady (or yano, do the modern thang and head here).

ETA:

I received a sample of the Avon SuperShock Gel Eyeliner in Silver as a few of you requested swatches… here are the pictures.  I really do recommend these liners without hesitation.

Avon Luxe Lace Winter Collection

Posted by Lipglossiping On October - 6 - 2010

My first ever eyeshadow was an Avon Color Trends lilac shade in a green case… I ground that thing down to the pan and then when I went to repurchase, couldn’t find the sucker!  I still have the occasional search on eBay for it for sentimental value, but have long forgotten it’s name :(

Anyway, I was invited to have a look at Avon’s new Winter cosmetics collection which goes by the name Luxe Lace… is it just me or is the name just a touch naff?  Fortunately, that’s where any naffness ends because the collection itself is really rather nice.

Let’s have a look at what we can expect…

Avon’s Luxe Lace True Colour Eyeshadow Quads (£8.00)

The Chanel-esque eyeshadow palettes offer 4 complementing shades that are suitable for both day or night depending on how you combine them.  The picture above shows the purple palette (Lace Electric) and the other (which I got in my goody bag) is a slightly more eclectic mix of champagnge/pinky-beige/green and blue (Lace Hues)  I shall swatch it v. soon!

In the photo, Lace Hues is hiding snugly behind Lace Electric.  Fail.

Luxe Lace Ultra Colour Rich Lipstick (£7.00)

Three new shades are due to be introduced from the end of October.  Instant Mocha, Frostiest Mauve and Pout will be priced at £7 each and promise to offer hydrating colour.  I found them to be hugely wearable in terms of pigmentation.  Not particularly long-lasting, but easy to apply and non-drying.

Luxe Lace SuperShock Mascara (£8.00)

I’m not a huge fan of Avon’s SuperShock Mascara though I know it’s very well-received. On me, it transfers and leaves little black spots just under my brows if I even remotely show any sign of getting a little ‘glowy’!  I love the big brush and the slightly dry formula… but there’s nothing worse than looking in the mirror and noticing funny black splotches undermining your appearance!

For the Winter Collection, SuperShock has been given a cute packaging makeover to bring it in line with it’s lacy counterparts.

Luxe Lace SuperShock Gel Eyeliner Pens (£6.00)

For me, the most impressive product in the collection.  These SuperShock Gel Eyeliner Pens completely blew me away.  Pigmented like you wouldn’t believe… creamier than a tub of Ben and Jerrys and long lasting?  Oh my…

I met up with a journalist the next day who’d attended the same event and we were both still wearing our swatches on the back of our hands despite showering and secondary scrubbing in an attempt to remove them!

Two shades: Black and Silver, perfect for the party season.  If you only get one thing from this collection, make it these!

.

The new collection will be available to order online or from your Avon rep from the 28th October.

I’ll be back with swatches of the Black Eyeliner, Lace Hues palette and Pout lipstick as soon as I can get accurate shots!

RANDOM

I'm such a scab...

…confession time. Looking back through my posts over the last couple of months, my skin has improved 110% since I started making an effort to …

Elizabeth Arden 8hr.... Sun Cream?

Elizabeth Arden’s famous 8hr franchise has taken a new turn for the Summer. Introducing Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Sun Defense for the Face (£22).  …

IMATS London 2011 - The Damage.

The dust is clearing and I’m surveying the damage that IMATS has done to my purse.  It could be worse, it could have been better.  …

Red Lipped Readers – Part One!

Check out some of your gorgeous selves rocking a festive red lip look! 1. Kat from Click&Make-Up! is knocking ‘em dead in MAC Viva Glam …

Helena Rubinstein Stellar Showlights Lipstick

I found another Stellar Showlights Lipstick lurking in my local T.K. Maxx… this time in the shade Ra Ra Red. I was a little disappointed …

Models Own new Spring/Summer Nail Collection!

Models Own have announced their new Spring/Summer nail collection which will include some rather exclusive (read: hard to get hold of) shades! Nyla Nude is …

UD - Alice in Wonderland Updated Launch Date

As previously reported on BritishBeautyBlogger, the Alice in Wonderland Palette will now be released online at Debenhams.com on the 22nd February and will be available …

NOTD - Primark Opia

Yes it’s ridiculously cheap, yes it’s a lovely colour for pale cool toned skin.  No I won’t be applying it again unless I develop a masochistic …

The Art of Christmas Gifting 001: Philosophy Jolly Jubilee

Whenever I look at a Philosopy Christmas Gift Set, it reminds me of exactly how I want my Christmases to look.  Sure, it’s a little …

The night I thought I'd Trumped myself.

I bought a hair-dye from TK Maxx last week (it sounds like a bad idea already) and decided that the recent crop of ever-increasing greys …

POPULAR

Hello? Is this thing on?

Phew, that was a little unexpected. For those of you who haven’t had the misfortune of reading my hand-wringing tweets and woe-ridden facebook updates, let …

FOTD Busting out of the comfort zone!

You may recall my bitter moans last week about how when presented with a rare opportunity to spend an indecent amount of time playing with …

Dear Obesity...

We have been together for over 20 years, our lives so entwined that I’ve never been sure how to live without you.  I would like …

Urban Decay The Black Palette - Photos & Swatches

The soon-to-be-released Black Palette from US eyeshadow maestro’s Urban Decay is an altogether darker affair than the recent Naked set… The Black Palette includes 6, …

Urban Decay 15-Year Anniversary 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil Set

This here post be ALL about the pictures… The Packaging…

The Johnson & Johnson Beauty Care Journalism Awards…

…were held earlier in the week at a swanky ‘do’ in London. Attended by some of the country’s best journalists and writers, the awards recognise …

Leila is two today!

My beautiful little girl Leila turns two today.  I’m sorry I don’t have a ‘normal’ post lined up for today but I spent all weekend …

My small (but perfectly formed) BB Cream collection

I promised you a post on BB creams and in all honesty, what I know about BB creams can probably be written on the back …

Your worst beauty counter experience!

We’ve all had them, those tooth-grindingly painful encounters at our local beauty counters.  From the over enthusiastic SAs who turn us orange to the snooty …

Chanel Ombre D'eau - Swatches of my (small) collection

This post is for the lovely Ann who requested a swatch of my new Chanel Ombre D’eau in #757 Splash when I picked it up. …

  • Categories

  • Archives

  • Admin

  • Ads

    Hair Extensions - UK based online supermarket for clip in hair extensions
    Your text link here
  • Google