A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

This Autumn has been quite eclectic in it’s choice for nail shades… from muted greens through to grey purples and chocolate browns, it’s certainly not been as vamp-heavy as usual.

Leighton Denny are continuing down this path with a set of colours that don’t appear to adhere to one particular focus.  For some, this is a relief… for me?  I’m just genuinely pleased to see a lovely-looking gunmetal grey put in an overdue appearance this season.

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Indulgence: Classic, scarlet red will be centre stage for AW10 & this shade will suit everyone.

Prim & Proper: Bright, stark nudes compliment dark outfits. This  icy nude shade will help achieve a contemporary look.

Timeless: This sophisticated, feminine coral shade paired with subtle make-up looks will help to soften more extreme winter styles.

Captivated: Bright accent colours are perfect for brightening the winter blues. This electric shade will add drama and accessorise a look.

Embellish Me: An indulgent aubergine  to achieve a glamorous high-end finish.

Graycious: A strong, gunmetal shade is perfect for achieving sultry elegance, as well as trend-led more edgy styles.

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Priced at £11 each, they’re available to buy online from www.leightondennyexpertnails.com

It’s that time of the year again… dark lips are gonna be out in force!

I wanna know how you wear a great dark lip?  I love the trend… especially for lazy days and bare eyes.  My problem?  I have a pretty thin top lip and dark colours make lips look even thinner!  I always feel that these vampy shades make me look like I’ve got a MEAN mouth!

I really want to put more effort into wearing some great vampy shades this season.

Here’s my inspiration:

Will you be wearing some dark lip shades this Autumn?  Are you a bit nervous of the annual trend?  If you’ve discovered any great tips – do share them, I’m sure that I’m not alone in needing some guidance!

Ahhh Le Metier… I get the guilts whenever I step within 10 yards of the counter in Liberty.  The grip on my purse tightens and one hand slaps the other away as it reaches for the clasp.

4ml of nail polish will set you back £10.  That’s one expensive (almost) a teaspoonful of polish right there.

Still, if you’re feeling indulgent… then these new Le Cirque Collection shades from the luxe brand are sure to tempt you!

The teeny, chunky ice cube-esque bottles are adorable.

High Wire

Dynamique

Magic at Night

I believe there’s another one called Noble Passion (which wasn’t on display at the press day), a “blushing nude”.

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Which is your favourite?  I’m intrigued by High Wire & Magic at Night… I see quite a few colours locked into that little bottle.

Continuing with the Barielle A/W Style in Argyle collection, we’re just over halfway through and can you guess what today’s shade variation is?

Can you?

That’s right!  Brown!

Ohhhh how I long for a green.  Not that this isn’t a rather lovely brown…. look how glossy it is!  This is with a top coat, but that never guarantess super-gloss like this…. the polish underneath has to want to play ball to get this almost glass-like finish.

Barielle’s Unraveled Rust is described as a ‘burnt rust creme”…. though it’s not really all that rusty in my opinion.  More of a vampy chocolate.  Three coats again are needed to achieve that perfect finish.

Dark, grungy and all about texture… Topshop’s new Autumn/Winter makeup range, Heavy Duty… is set to launch at the end of the month.  From ultra-wet looking glossy lips through to slept-in smoky eyes the new collection is a far cry from the high-street store’s Summer offerings.

LIP MARKER: A felt tip pen applicator for long lasting gorgeously bitten looking lips. So efficient; use an oil based cleanser to ensure full removal.  Shade: Ultimate

GLOSS: The perfect formula for creating heavy lacquered lips that look dipped in paint.  Choose from three deep sultry tones for a full on wash of colour.  Shades: Volt, Gloom and Undertone.

KOHL DUST: A revolutionary formula that crumbles and smudges to create the perfect smokey eye.  Perfect for both top and lower lid, inside and out, the 3D effect is the first of it’s kind.  Shade: Ash.

EYE PALETTE: Two beautiful and complementary shades encased in a mirrored palette.  Build them up wet and watch the diamond like formula reveal a deep and dramatic finish.  Palette Shades: Thunder and Greyscale.

CREAM LINERS: With four unique and fashion forward shades to choose from use as a liner, a wash or build up for an intense injection of colour.  Applicator included.  Shades: Facet, Steely, Etch, Ravine.

CRAYON: The ultimate pigmented kohl presented in a chubby crayon for buildable coverage.  A choice of two dark and sultry shades that easily smudge for a dramatic and smokey effect.  Shades: Graphite and Burnish.

MASCARA: High drama lashes in an instant.  Lifts, lengthens and defines for buildable volume, perfect for this season’s heavier lash.  Shade: Carbon.

NAILS: A collection of three intense nail lacquers of contrasting and complementing petrol hues.  Shades: Metallic Khaki, Iridescent Grey, Metallic Blue.

Heavy Duty will be available towards the end of this month instore and online with prices ranging between £6-£10.

Anything catching your attention?

Not my colour… too clashy and obnoxious against my skintone… but on the right person, this could be a real conversation starter (in a good way!)

Barielle’s Aura Angora is an opaque, creamy mustard.  It’s more wearable than I thought it would be, though I think it would suit shorter fingernails better.

Formula throughout the collection is consistent, three coats needed to achieve that perfect finish but all provide a high gloss shine.

Barielle’s Tight Knit is described as “a purple brown crème” and is one of my favourites from the collection.  It’s one of the few that particularly flatters a cooler skintone though still encapsulates the warmth and cosiness that this set delivers.

3 coats are shown above and I had no issues with application.  The cremes from the Style in Argyle collection are all glossy in their finish and don’t require a top coat to achieve this.

Barielle’s Cashmere or Loose Me is described as a “Soft brown with copper pearl” and it’s the only shade from the new Style in Argyle collection that gave me application issues.

You can see the dragging near the cuticles?  This is with 3 coats… I’m not happy about that, though to be fair, it was less noticeable in real life than it is in the picture.  What I do love is the ‘copper pearl’ – it gives an added dimension, something that I’ve come to expect from Barielle’s polishes.

The copper pearl isn’t visible in the above photo (though it is on the nail), so I’ve taken a photo of the bottle which shows the effect well.

This is the first in the series of six that I was sent for review consideration.

The Style in Argyle collection is available to purchase online from the Barielle website priced at £8 each.  Though currently, the Spring/Summer and Autumn collections are available on a “buy one get one free” basis, rendering them a bargainous £4 per polish.

This week I’m gonna be showcasing the Barielle Style in Argyle Autumn collection… I have mixed feelings about the collection as a whole.  It feels very different to Barielle’s usual releases but I do love the warm, cosy, Autumnal theme.

One of my favourite things about Barielle’s collections however, is their eclecticness and this collection doesn’t stray from the path laid out.

It couldn’t be more ‘on trend’ though could it?  Camel IS the colour for Autumn… Barielle have solidly nailed it in that respect.

[stextbox id=”custom” bcolor=”e6e6fa” bgcolor=”b0c4de”]Indulge yourself with Cashmere or Loose Me – a soft brown with copper pearl; cosy up with Tight Knit – a purple brown crème; keep your hands as pretty as the fallen leaves with Aura Angora – a royal gold crème; get tied up with Unraveled Red – a burnt rust crème; engage yourself with Wool you Marry Me? – a plum brown crème. and howl at the moon with Cowl of the Wild – a mushroom taupe crème.[/stextbox]

What are you first impressions?  Stick around for this week’s NOTDs if you want to get up close and personal with the Style in Argyle collection!

From the Autumn/Winter 2010 Vintage Vixen collection, Bogie (named for Humphrey Bogart) is a must have.  No really, go and buy it NAO!

I don’t usually like frosts, but this is metallic enough to bring it up to date and stop it from looking like you’ve raided your Mum’s nail polish box.

It reminds me a little of my Dior Silver Purple from last Christmas… though is a bit less gun-metally (metally, totally a word) and more purple.

I’ve already worn this twice in a row and die-hard nail fans will understand that that’s QUITE the accolade.

A very, very pretty polish for Autumn/Winter.

I buy 80% of my polishes from BeautyZone2007 on eBay who I’ve had a faultless experience with so far.

Are you into your khakis?

Unless a man is wearing them… then, no.  Not really… though I’m getting sorely tempted by one of the new polishes from the Les Khakis de Chanel collection.

Going all out on the sludge, Chanel knows how to hit our purses hard when leading the trends.

I’m surprised by Khaki Brun… perhaps simply a clever trick to entice all those that missed out on Particuliere earlier in the year.  Khaki Rose *could* be lovely, though it’s a bit granny no?

Khaki Vert is my pick of the bunch…. look at all that grey blended with the green.  Like something from the bottom of a smelly swamp.  Just lovely 😉

Are any of these calling to you?  Bored of the grungey colours now?

What a strange little polish Butter London’s Victoriana (£10) is… it applied with an almost fibrous quality.  If you can call that a quality.  But what I will say is that on me… this manicure lasted 5 days before I saw any tip wear.  Was I painting polish or carbon fibre?

The first coat was a hot mess because of the thick texture…. if you’re smart fngered and can cope with thick polishes, this may be a one-coat wonder for you.  I needed a second to even out the edges and fill in the drag marks.

The muted green/blue tone looks soft against my skintone… in the picture above it’s a little brighter thanks to the sunlight, but it shows up the dense silver sparkle nicely.  Removal was a little tedious but nothing major.  Just hold the remover pad to the nail for a touch longer than normal before wiping clean.  No need for foil or anything hardcore like that!

I was truly amazed by the 5 days of wear I got before noticing any flaws in it’s appearance.

What do you think?  Do you like the look of Victoriana?