A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

I was pissed at the snow and the miserable post-Christmas aura surrounding January.

In a two fingered salute, I daubed the most obnoxious summery colour I could find on my tips.  I said tips.

HJ Manicure in Blonde.

I was worried I’d look like I smoked 60-a-day or at the very least had a kinky penchant for bananas, but thankfully this shade just misses looking horrendous.  It’s not the most suitable shade for my skintone, but remember… I’m being aesthetically antagonistic in my shade selection.  And as a bonus, it makes the inlaws wonder what their son ever saw in me.

I even received a few compliments wearing this.  To be fair, one was from the checkout girl in Wilkinsons who didn’t look a day over 11 and a half and the other was from the lady who served me a sausage roll in Greggs, but let’s be honest, a compliment is a compliment.

Again, I’m loving HJ Manicure’s formula.  Yellows are the problem children of the nail polish world and one of the reasons I chose this shade was to put the brand to the test on their formula.  It coped admirably.  My only complaint was with opacity.  This was 4 coats, and you could still faintly make out the tips… If it’d had been fully opaque in 4 coats, I would have been satisified.  As it is, it’s a slight issue for me.  Thankfully, each coat was a smooth quick-drier.

Most yellows appear to be cremes, this is a shimmer… it has a slight sparkle to it that would make it such a great choice for the summer.  Longevity is fabulous, no chipping and minimal tip wear despite not adding a top coat.

Are you a fan of the brights?

HJ Manicure shades can be bought online from their website in 5ml (£3.50) and 15ml (£8.50) sizes with free P&P on every order.

Back in December, I went a little Dior crazy.  I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t eat… (stop laughing)

Anyway!  I was a woman possessed obsessed with the Dior Cristal Boreal Holiday Collection and when I picked up a few pieces, a couple more shadows from the new One Couleur Extreme range fell into my hot sweaty hands too.

Left to Right on the top row: Dior One Couleur Extreme Eye Shadow in Flash Black, Dior One Couleur Extreme Eye Shadow in Silver Gem (LE), Dior One Couleur Extreme Eye Shadow in Trendy Taupe.

Flash Black: A true black infused with silver sparkle… this is such a great base for a wonderful smoky eye.

Silver Gem (LE) – This is a limited edition silver from the Cristal Boreal Holiday 2009 Collection… this is the shadow that I first swatched on counter that made me loopy for the collection.  It’s a pretty darn opaque silver with a buttery finish.

Trendy Taupe – A teeny bit disappointing because it’s so dark on me, I wanted more of a midtone shade for the lid and this fairly pigmented shade doesn’t quite fit the bill.

The cast of characters… You can see the sparkle of Flash Black (left), the opaqueness of Silver Gem (middle) and the deep tones of Trendy Taupe (right).

I think that concludes my pre-Christmas Dior haul…. now to find a new obsession for Spring/Summer… What’s on your radar?

One of the most talked about so-called ‘dupes’ is the infamous $5.99 Milani Luminous blush which many say is a dead ringer for the even more infamous $25 NARS Orgasm.

Here’s my take on that theory…

You can immediately see the similarities between them.  In the pan, Orgasm has a little more sparkle, but the shades are a very close match indeed.

On my skin…

I find Milani’s Luminous to be slightly pinker than NARS Orgasm on my skintone, it also swatches a little heavier which was a surprise to me, as I rank NARS blushes up there as among the most pigmented I’ve used.

The Milani only lasts for a couple of hours before fading compared to Orgasm (a.k.a – shit to a blanket).  Once applied to my cheeks, NARS Orgasm has that “Je Ne Sais Quoi”… a slightly ethereal quality that is lacking from the Milani.

Does that relegate the Milani to the dupe bin?  Not at all, I would happily take Luminous on a fortnight holiday with me.  I love it, it’s a fantastic dupe and I’m pleased to own it.  Would I be happy for it to completely replace Orgasm?

No.  On my skin, NARS Orgasm gives me that famed full on post coital flush that Milani Luminous only hints at.

EGO Professional are a haircare company that manufacturer a number of styling tools including: 2 types of straighteners, curling tongs and a hairdryer.  I had the opportunity to try a set of their hair straighteners for potential review, and I have been putting them to the test throughout December.

Back in November, I tried the Cloud 9 straighteners, and whilst I was very pleased with their performance at lower temperatures… I was concerned that they tugged a little more than I had expected.

I was curious to see how these EGO Professional Hair Straighteners compared as they are both marketed as salon quality irons, both with a RRP of over £100.

The packaging is simple, a blackened red box housed in a plain white cardboard sleeve, it simply doesn’t have the ‘kerb’ appeal that the Cloud 9’s had with all that sleek black and turquoise.

A few things about these irons from the “blurb”:

Take statement styling to a whole new level with Ego 1″ irons. Featuring fully adjustable heat settings, a polished exterior and ribbed outer body, these fabulous irons utilise heat boost technology to deliver a consistent, optimum temperature in seconds. Whether you want to simply straighten or create amazing waves and curls, all the inspiration you need is now in your hands.

Let’s take a closer look at the irons…

I was a little confused by all that ribbing.  I’m used to sleek smooth barrels for optimum curling, and I even commented to their PR that I didn’t understand how the ribbing could help create curls at all.  Reflecting on my comment… I think that I was hoping that it might lay a foundation and soften the negative review I was sure would transpire after attempting curling.

As you can see, the ribbing covers the whole of the barrel from the tip to the base of the ceramic plates.

The controls are very simple, comprising of two features.  An on/off switch and a dial which controls the temperature of the irons.  Disappointingly simple really when compared to the Cloud 9’s flash LED enhanced interface.  It took a little more “peering” to ensure that I had selected my desired temperature setting.  Not generally a problem, but in the dark winter I did have to angle the straighteners towards the window to get the light to fall on them so I could tell how hot I’d set them.  I’m being finickity, but it made me appreciate that sleek interface of those Cloud 9s. 1-0 to the Cloud 9s.

Back to the design of the Big Ego Hair Straighteners, I captured some close ups of various aspects of the tools…

The barrel is a matte red, unisex in appearance and not smooth or at all ‘silky’ to the touch.

The Big EGO Hair Straighteners boast ceramic 1″ plates, overall build quality is very solid and not at all flimsy to the touch.  They heat up in a matter of seconds, easily as fast as the Cloud 9’s leaving me barely enough time to spritz my hair with my chosen heat defence spray!

The power cord (at 10ft) is more than long enough to allow for a great reach and the swivel connector ensures that you can use them without having to contort your arms into weird and wonderful positions.

Slightly more important than the swivel connector though, is the glide.  Oh god, do they glide? Swish! Straight down the hair shaft without a single pull or tug… Ah-mazing.  I’ve tried with dry hair and damp hair and I simply cannot make these babies give my hair a yank.  Smooth as silk.  1-1, that’s a tie folks!

But how does they perform?

Here’s the obligatory ‘before’…

Same as my C9 trial, I went to bed with wet hair… woke up like an explosion in a mattress factory.

And after…

Hello sleek bob!!  (please ignore the weirdness that is the layers my hairdresser has cut into the back of my head – yet another reason to ditch her).

This is at 150 degrees (or as close as I could tell on the dial).  I wanted to use the same temperature for comparison purposes.  I was able to achieve this finish in around 13 minutes, which is longer than the Cloud 9s but to be honest, I *think* the time difference was at least partly down to me being more cack-handed on the test than the fault of the straighteners.  Out of fairness though, I’m gonna have to give the Cloud 9’s a point for speed.  2-1 to the Clouds.

The final thing I wanted to try was curling, I actually curled one side with my Cloud 9s and the other with the Big EGO hair straighteners, and instantly… I preferred the C9s.  I found the Big EGOs awkward to use with the ridges on the barrel.  I actually gave up halfway through after getting annoyed with them.

And then I tried a couple of weeks later…

Oh my word.  I don’t know what ‘clicked’… but my hair seemed to find a natural path through the channels in the ribbing, the strands wound round the barrel with ease and I was left with defined but smooth waves, kinda like my before picture but tamed.  Whilst the C9s curl admirably, these seemed to leave my waves with greater definition.  And I’m (rightly or wrongly) putting that down to those funny grooves.

2-2 – feel the tension!

Both straighteners leave my hair feeling soft, shiny and smooth.  My hair hair feels almost ‘conditioned’ once straightened and I’ve not noticed any damaging effects from regular use (although I always ensure I use heat defence spray, and mostly use the irons at 200 degrees or below).

One last thing…

Price.

The Cloud 9’s retail for around £129, the Big EGO’s around £109.

3-2 to the Big EGOs.

Two very good pro styling tools, both with great capabilities… but that glide… those waves…

The Big EGO Hair Straighteners are where I’d put my money.

You can purchase the Big EGO Hair Straighteners online and Feel Unique are currently offering them for £99.99 delivered – bargain!

I’ve been waiting to write this review for a long time, I’ve owned the SK-II Facial Treatment Cleansing Oil since the summer, but was being a good girl and using up my Shiseido Perfect Oil before commencing a new product!

The SK-II Cleansing Oil is another string to the bow of the Japanese Skincare Line SK-II (owned by Procter & Gamble) – the USP of SK-II is a single “anti-aging” ingredient called Pitera which they claim works to allow the skin to rejuvenate more effectively.

For your money (and rather a lot of it, I might add) – you get 250ml of oil, which, thankfully… is a generous sized bottle.  The packaging itself is plastic but at a glance looks like frosted glass.  I prefer the fact that it’s plastic, which allows for safer transportation.

They say:

This delicate oil with Wild Rose Extract and Pitera emulsifies with water and ‘Lifts and Locks’ onto hidden sebum and impurities. The ‘Lift and Lock’ formulation allows oil to transform with water to gently lift away make-up and impurities from the skin. Leaves it soft and fresh.

I never notice any discernible scent when using this (unlike the NUDE Cleansing oil – review to come soon!).  It’s a clear liquid of medium consistency which spreads quite easily over my face.  It’s lighter than the DHC Deep Cleansing Oil but heavier than my Shiseido Perfect Oil.  A happy medium!

I’ve never had to use more than 2 pumps, 1 pump will suffice if I’m not wearing mascara.

As you can see from the above list, mineral oil is the central ingredient… which is a shame, and at over £30 a bottle, I’m disappointed to see that they’re using such a cheap filler that is widely known to cause skin congestion thanks to it’s pore-clogging abilities.  Did you know that mineral oil is a byproduct of the distillation of gasoline from crude oil and that it actually costs more to dispose of it than it does to purchase it?  Now, I’m no Organic junkie… sometimes, chemicals just work and I admit to being endlessly suspicious that Organic products in general don’t work as effectively as their chemical-laden alternatives… but in this case, I’d rather my £32 bottle of cleansing oil wasn’t full of one of the cheapest substances on earth.

But, how does it clean?

It cleans well… It removes all mascaras (inc. waterproof) and leaves my face feeling fresh and (as promised) soft.  As with most cleansing oils… I do however, find it a little drying with continued use.  It also doesn’t emulsify as well as my DHC Deep Cleansing Oil, leaving a slightly oily residue behind untl I’ve followed up with another cleanser (which I always do anyway).

This puts it in the same category as the Shiseido Perfect Oil… but let’s remember… gram for gram (or ml for ml) the Shiseido would work out less than half the price of the SK-II for the same quantity.  The DHC Deep Cleansing Oil also works out cheaper, and thus rendering it still my #1 choice for cleansing oils.

I mustn’t forget the Pitera… and if I were comparing anti-aging night creams, I’d have a harder time eliminating it as a reason for purchasing.. but to be honest, I want my cleansing oil to clean – I’m not fussed about it’s anti-aging, skin regenerating properties.  I’ll save those concerns (and money) for my moisturiser.

You can purchase the SK-II line from Harrods, both in store and online.

So, you’ve seen the FOTD but not the palette… I got that ordering all arse about face didn’t I?  Although, you couldn’t actually see the shadows in the FOTD anywayyyy… but I digress…

Here she is!

I’m not a fan of these silly velvet pouches… I dunno why, but to me… they cheapen the product.  Makes me think of a tacky ornament that you pick up in the pound shop at Christmas for an Aunty that you don’t like very much.  Yeah, I don’t know how the hell I got from Dior to pound shop tat in one fell swoop either.

The casing on the other hand is pure luxe.  Love that midnight blue… just beautiful!

It’s a very cool toned palette, which suits me perfectly!  I’m loving the combination of totally wearable shades… gawjus!

As you can see from the swatches… this is one heavily pigmented palette.  The shade difference between the silvery taupes are perfect and the purple is a fabulous nod to the festive season.  The finishes are all metallic/shimmer and blend like buttah.

The palette is LE but there was still plenty of stock in the Boots I bought this from last week.  I paid £36 (well, I didn’t ‘cos I used my Advantage Card… but, I woulda done if…. oh you know what I mean!).

Do you like? Is it a bit cool toned for you?

I’m a big fan of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, they’re multi-use and an absolute must have for travelling.  Fantastically, they’re Suphate-Free and you can use them for washing, laundry, dish washing, cleaning, shampooing and even toothbrushing!  Although I’m not too sure about that last one…

My favourite use for this little bottle of rose-scented magic has to be cleaning my makeup brushes.  You just need the tiniest amount.  I’ve washed my brushes at least 3 times using the bottle above and it’s barely made any impact at all.

It leaves my brushes feeling soft, clean and conditioned, gets out all the crud and all that remains is a gentle rose-scent.  What more can I ask for?

More varieties?  Well… you can have: Peppermint (nice), Eucalyptus (bleh), Almond (yum), Rose (yay), Baby Mild (boring), Citrus (zesty!), Lavender (bleh) and Tea Tree (meh).   Please excuse the childish running commentary that accompanied the variety listing… sometimes I just can’t help myself.

Oh yes, they don’t test on bunny rabbits either.

INGREDIENTS: Water, Saponified Organic Coconut, Organic Palm and Organic Olive Oils (w/Retained Glycerin), Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Essential Oils, Citric Acid, Vitamin E

You like?

I purchase mine from EcoHamster ‘cos they offer free delivery and I like hamsters. £4.95 for 236ml.

I first saw this on Cosmetic-Candy back in July (on my brithday infact – it was meant to be!)

I fell in love with the swatch and have been lusting after it since!  Thanks to a well-timed eBay auction, I was finally able to make it mine:

Packaging is lovely!  The product is housed in a very solid frosted glass jar and it comes with a very useable retractable brush.

I found the shade to be well pigmented with some gorgeous (but not overpowering) sparkles.  It’s a very dark teal and would compliment brown eyes beautifully.

The swatch set to a smudge proof finish very quickly, but unfortunately I did experience transfer on my lids.

I was pleased to be able to add it to my collection, it reminds me of my Infinity Liner in Indigo Blue, but with added sparkle!  If only I could get the dreaded lid transfer to stop though 🙁

I paid around £10 including shipping.  Check eBay & AdamBeauty for stock.

Here’s that FOTD I promised showing the GOSH Smoky Eyes Palette I was sent.

Remember the one?

No, sorry not that one… I meant this one…

*alright, stop bitching about their crap stock imagery already*

Anyway, I was semi pleased that it wasn’t hugely pigmented as I find the Sleek MakeUP Graphite palette so hard to work with.  Although I was unsure if I would get much payoff from that light grey (2nd from right) at all…

And I was right! (which makes a change).

I do really like this for a non-overpowering smoky eye.  It feels more grown up, more genteel and sophisticated than the Sleek Graphite Palette.  Unfortunately, I got nothing from that pale grey shade at all.  I applied it in the crease and blended upwards but you just wouldn’t be able to tell.

I hereby class this a “nearly” palette… “nearly” good, but no cigar.

STOP PRESS!: Check out Janice’s review on the Eye Transformer too, her photographs demonstrate the whole ‘smoky eye thing’ better than mine and really give a good idea of what I was trying to explain (lamely!).

http://seekforbeauty.blogspot.com/2009/08/review-elf-studio-eye-transformer.html

The new (to the UK) ELF Eye Transformer is another product that was lurking at the bottom of my goody bag from a recent E.L.F event I attended.  It’s an unusual product, I’ve only ever seen one other like it and I think that it fits in very nicely with the rest of the E.L.F Studio lineup.

It has one main function.  Applied over a dark coloured eyeshadow base, it will have the effect on transforming the base into a new and wonderful shimmering iridescent shade.

Make sense?

Let’s look more closely…

Oh there you go, it says what it does on the back of the box… and for bonus points it gets straight to the point.  Unlike me.

Packaging is identical to the Shimmer Palette, it’s good stuff… solid and sleek.

There are four powder shades: Green, Orange, Pink and Blue.

The powders are quite dusty and I’d recommend giving your brush a quick shake or blow before applying the powder ontop of your base.

First, I laid down 4 black base swatches.  I used a black eye shadow from one of my Sleek Palettes, then I layered each Eye Transformer powder over the base…

Let’s see them in action…

As you can see, from left to right… the powders create green, bronze, purple and blue hues when layered ontop of black bases.  Very pretty and much more interesting than plain old black!

This by itself is pretty cool, but I’ve discovered an even better use for them!

I’m rubbish at true smoky eyes, I look like a panda, I find it hard to blend very strong colours.  It’s a shame then that smokey eyes are *everywhere* at the moment.  Hell, Sleek and GOSH have even brought out palettes in celebration…

Let me demonstrate my crapness…

That’s my best effort!  It’s harrrrrrrrrd!

The variations between the black in the crease and the grey on the lid are obvious to me… I just can’t get a smooth blend when I use black, which is why I usually shy away from the shade, favouring greys and browns for crease colours.

However, let’s go over the whole lot with the blue shade from the Eye Transformer Palette…

What do you think?

It’s not *so* visible in the photo as it was in person, but adding the Eye Transformer shade seems to bring the other shades in harmony with one another.

My blending isn’t the best, and I should have definitely gone over that outer edge with my blending brush.  But focusing on the actual lid, don’t the colours seem to flow better?  Am I imagining things?

Anyway, all I can say is…

The ELF Eye Transformer is not the best quality product in the world… the powders are pretty chalky and dusty.

Having said that, I’m a sucker for novelty products like this and usually a little disappointed when I try them.  But I’m really enjoying using this combined with the Sleek Graphite palette.  They simply work as they’re supposed to, opening up many more opportunities for colour.

What are your thoughts?  Have you tried the ELF Eye Transformer Palette? Want to?

PURE are a brand I know very little about although I’ve spied the mostly black packaging a few times whilst browsing in Boots.

The first products I noticed by the brand were the Kajal sticks, and I was tempted!  But to be honest, as an unknown quantity… I was loathe to part with any money ’till I’d read a bit more about the brand.

Well, of course that never happened… there’s simply too much makeup in the world worthy of spending my hard-earned cash on and something else equally tempting must have slipped into my line of vision and any thoughts of PURE were promptly dropped.

That is, until I was browsing the Debenhams website last week.

PURE was on sale (at 50% off the RRP) and I saw some eyeshadow duos that I liked the look of…

Pretty!

The packaging is sleek, compact and functional… it’s solidly built and nice to use.

I bought: Freedom, Nude Gold and Havana. (L-R)  I paid £4.25 each.

Nude Gold and Havana look somewhat simillar no?

Clockwise from TopLeft – Freedom, Nude Gold, Havana.

Nude Gold looks a little washed out in my swatch, but it’s equally as vibrant as Havana and Freedom.

I’m really pleased with my purchases, the shadows are smooth, well pigmented and contain a beautiful amount of shimmer without being too sparkly.

They last well without a base and blend easily.  There’s not much more you’d want is there?

My only disappointment is the shade selection, I think I’ve already bought all the ones I’d be interested in bar one – the others look pretty samey or just plain odd.

I’ll be much more willing to try the rest of the brand now though!

Are you a PURE fan?  What have you tried?  What do you want to try?

01/02/2010 (UK Date Format) – This post is overdue an update.

I’ve been revisiting this mascara throughout January.  And the formula feels thicker to me now.  It’s less clumpy (although I still wouldn’t advise more than 2 coats) and I’m finding that it nicely defines my lashes.  I need to update with a photo, and I shall do that very shortly.  But I wanted to put this update in now as I saw that I was receiving a few Google search referrals to this page.

As it stands, I would repurchase this mascara… I’m not sure *why* I found it so hard to work with back in November, but it seems like a completely different formula to me now that it’s aged a little… I’m enjoying it so much that I took it on holiday with me as my only mascara, that sounds like a silly ‘compliment’.  But when you have as many mascaras in rotation as I do, it’s a big commitment!

When I was in Superdrug the other day, I was looking for some of Bourjois’ new makeup removers and skincare products when I spied this unremarkable looking tube on the shelves.

Bourjois 1001 Cils…

I adore mascara, I have no less than 7 unopened tubes sitting in my makeup drawers at home, waiting to be put into action, so of course… I had to buy another one.

With mascaras, innovation seems to be the buzz word “du jour” and it’s not about the formulas…  It’s all about the brushes at the moment.  I’ll happily admit that I’m a total sucker for this.  I love me a good explanation as to why a mascara brush is gonna make me look like bambi on steroids.

So what’s the USP of this one?

Bourjois says:

Say good bye to mascaras that only thicken or lengthen the lashes! Bourjois goes further and multiplies your lashes*

* visual effect

Excellent! How’s it gonna do that then?

The revolutionary patented** double helix brush has astonishing powers: with its twelve rows of bristles, it works on every single lash, even the very smallest. In just one application, every lash is reached and fully coated from root to tip without clumping.

** patent pending

Right-O… No clumping, Multiplied Lashes and a Double Helix Brush…

Double helixes rock. It’s true…

Think DNA, responsible for encoding all the genetic information in our sad little lives.

And how about the Double Helix Nebula, found in the middle of our very own Milky Way galaxy?

Not quite so impressive, but interesting nonetheless is Bourjois’ 1001 Cils Mascara Brush:

It’s a plastic spiked brush as opposed to fibre bristled, which usually works nicely for my lashes.  Do you have a preference?

The formula is quite wet… one of those “sneeze and you’ll *really* regret it” types.

The head of the wand is really flexible compared to the shaft.  When I was putting the wand back in the tube, I hadn’t quite aligned it properly and instead of it simply jamming and not going in the tube as what usually happens… the head flexed and “pinged”, flicking mascara on me. Nice.

It clumped on the first coat and spread itself over my eyelid thanks to the thin, wet formula.

I didn’t find it particularly lengthening, volumising or ‘multiplying’.  The only positives I have are that it contains a nice strong black pigment and thanks to the thin brush you can reach the inner lashes with ease.

Here’s some before > afters:

I wouldn’t repurchase.

Bourjois 1001 Cils/Lashes is currently priced at £6.99 in Boots (I can’t remember how much I paid in Superdrug), RRP: £8.99