A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Released on the 7th June, the highly anticipated return of Urban Decay Nail Polishes to the UK is nearly upon us!

I’ve been snapping up the UD Polishes from yesteryear as and when I see them on eBay or in discount stores, so I’m pretty darn excited about this set.  Infact, it was through their polishes that I first discovered the brand… anyone else remember the polishes?

Anyway, last year I found myself whining (I know, quelle surprise!) at Urban Decay’s UK PR peeps when I was told that we wouldn’t be seeing the Apocalyptic Nail Kit on our shores, so I nearly peed my knickers when I was sent these this week.

7 mini-sized nail polishes housed in a faux gold snakeskin little zip-up case.  Tack-o-rama!  Um, in a good way!

One for every day of the week!  The colours do shout summer…. well… nearly all of them.  I just can’t associate purple with summer… and that one on the far left.. I’m thinking more early Autumn.  Pedantic, sorry.

I couldn’t wait to begin swatching and I’ve been deliberating… Do I post them all up at once, or do one at a time in a  usual NOTD?  I decided that I’d just get some quick swatches up so you can see if the shades are colours you’d be interested in wearing in advance of the release.  As I work my way through them over the next week or so I’ll give thoughts on formula, application and a better swatch photo…

In particular, my Woodstock photo is a bit off…. so I’ll make sure I get another one up early in the week (it’s my favourite too!)

For now…

Very, very quick first impression.  Each polish is 5ml, so we’re talking the same quantity as a Mavala.  Packaging is cute and even better, the brush is normal sized… a little wide even.  I much prefer this as it means I can cover my nail in 2/3 strokes… none of this faffing about with a teeny brush.

The set consists of 3 cremes (woodstock, psychedelic sister & magic bus), 2 shimmers (love light & hashbury) and 2 metallics (aquarius & shine on).  Formula wise, I had the most application joy from those cremes (but they benefit from a glossy top coat).  The metallics gave me the biggest application woes with a touch of cuticle drag.

The set will be priced at £17.50 and available from the 7th June.  Now…. if only they sold them full size and separately…

Paul & Joe‘s Summer collection is due out today!  Well…. the rest of it anyway.  Two of the lip products have been available since the 7th May, so let’s start with those shall we?

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Ohhh I do like this model image Clinique… it’s how my makeup would look everyday in a world unhindered by problematic issues such as not being able to find my pencil sharpener when I need it or not knowing exactly where I’m supposed to apply my damn blush.

Anyway, the Clinique Autumn 2010 collection consists of three brand new products and a bunch of what d’ya call ’em… existing stock that kinda gets pushed to the front of the counter in a “don’t forget about me, look how nice I am for Autumn” kinda way… um… repromotes?

Anyway, let’s take a look at what’s new:

NEW Limited Edition High Impact Mascara
RRP: £14.50 €19.00
Clinically proven to make eyes appear three times brighter, this limited edition deep black shade creates the necessary contrast against the whites of the eyes to create a youthful, vibrant look.

Available in:
Brightening Black

NEW Limited Edition Quickliner for Eyes Intense
RRP: £13.00 €17.50
A more dramatic version of our best-selling eyeliner, this extra creamy new formulation glides on smooth, while the rich new shades provide a more vivid colour payoff to intensify the eyes for up to 12 hours.

Available in:
Intense Black
Intense Plum
Intense Chocolate
Intense Coffee

NEW Vitamin C Lip Smoothie Antioxidant Lip Colour
RRP: £13.50 €19.00
These delicious lip smoothies are a healthy dose of luscious colour in six NEW juicy shades rich in moisture and shine.  Think of it as an antioxidant fruit smoothie for the lips.

Available in:
Guava Good
Pear-Fection
Running Latte
Strawberry Bliss
Pome-Greatness
Blackberry Nirvana

I know it’s a teeny bit early to be talking about Autumn collections when I’ve barely seen anything Summer-y hit the counters yet… (hurry up, hurry up, hurry up!) – but I liked the natural but sultry promo image too much to care.

I wish there was a touch more to the release… some new eye colours would have been nice in a collection that purports to be all about the eyes.   I’m definitely interested in the sound of some of those new eyeliners… extra dramatic smudgeability is nearly always a good thing in my book and an eye-brightening mascara?  Woohoo! Are we guessing at some clever blue/black pigment in there somewhere ladies?

After this scorcher of a weekend, I bet some of you are nursing your sore bits and will happily indulge in a little bit of early Autumnal cosmetic goodness, just so long as we’re talking September and not November right? Brrrr.

Clinique Autumn 2010 – Bigger, Brighter Eyes in an Instant will be available on counters nationwide from 1st August.