A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

I’m starting to wonder if and when Butter London are gonna run out of these cutesy “British” slang terms… I reckon that when inspiration is at its lowest ebb, someone in the office sticks an episode of Only Fools and Horses on the DVD player.  “Alright me old china?” <— Butter London Spring 2016 name right there.  Naturally, the polish would be an off-white cream, somewhat like a glaze.  Can I make money doing this?  Hands up if you’d give up EVERYTHING to name nail polishes for a living.

Butter London Shag from their Autumn/Winter 2012 collection is a clear nod to the season’s hues.  Reminiscent of fallen Autumn leaves (before they’ve turned mouldy), with a dazzling metallic finish that glimmers beautifully in the late afternoon light.  Well, what little we have of it.

The formula on this one was a dream and the above photo shows two coats – the polish applied smoothly and dried to a shiny finish, the above photo shows no top coat.  If you had the opportunity to conceive a Butter London polish, what would you call it and what would it look like?

Butter London Shag is priced at £11.95 and available to buy online at www.thepowderrooms.com

I’ve been dragging my heels when it comes to getting excited for Autumn. Everyone around me has gone chunky-knit/boot-buying crazy while I’ve been trying to eke out one more wear from my floral palazzo trousers before I vacuum pack them away under the bed for the Winter.

But I’m feeling zen about it now. Infact, I feel quite vindicated seeing as Autumn has now clearly arrived with a vengeance this week. Yeah, you go ahead and shiver in your new chunky knit. You brought this on yourself.

It’s not that I hate Autumn… despite my protestations, it is indeed my favourite season too and I am particularly partial to the new collections that the cooler weather brings.  I’m already contemplating vampier lips and more Autumnal blushes.  Infact, here’s five Autumn blushers that I bet you don’t own…

1. Cargo – Tonga: A beautiful, muted matte rose with a hint of mauve

2. Makeup Store – Sugarpink: A soft, dusty pink with a touch of earthiness.

3. Becca Pressed Shimmer Powder – Princess: A muted plum with a hint of bronze, scrumminess.

4. Jane Iredale – Cotton Candy: A sparkly plum with shimmer that flatters without looking too glittery.

5. T. Le Clerc – Brun Voile: A sheer, neutral brown that will go perfectly with everything.

What are your favourite Autumn blushers that don’t get the hype they deserve?

There’s nothing like an el-cheapo nail polish to quench that insatiable itch to buy something.  I was walking round town last week and felt the need to scratch.  Still recovering from the new lens purchase (it may be some time), I dived into Superdrug for something that wouldn’t break the bank and emerged triumphant with this little beauty…

…BeautyUK to be precise.  Voodoo – No. 55 (£1.99) is an absolute cracking shade for Autumn, a deep russet with a playful shimmer that glows in the right light.  Two coats to achieve opacity, I did get a tiny bit of bubbling on one nail which made me a little more careful with the application than I might normally be.

After admiring my manicure for half a day, I decided, beautiful though it is, I wanted moar Autumn.  I dug out my Inglot Flakie #205 and slapped on a coat…

Now we’re talking!  I see toffee apples, fallen leaves, crisp afternoons and misty mornings.  Brrr… c’mon Autumn, I’m ready for you!

Are you ready for Autumn?  Digging out your vampier shades yet?

If it weren’t for those pesky prematurely dark evenings… Autumn would be my favourite season by far.

The excitement at dragging our lovely knitwear out from storage, discovering warming new recipes for the slow cooker, 100 denier tights and nature’s most vibrant display of colour.  It all combines to fill me with that pre-Christmas thrill.

For me, Autumn is the season of scents… crushed leaves underfoot, cordite in the air and hearty stews on the stove.

Here’s my take on some of the nicest Autumn scents that money can buy.

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Ancienne Ambiance Scented Candle Collection – Romana (£28)

Brainchild of Adriana Carlucci, Ancienne Ambiance offer luxury goods inspired by Antiquity.   When you burn an Ancienne Ambiance candle, you’re burning more than just a beautifully blended scent.

Romana is like a portal to another age.  Described as: A powder-like scent with sensual & comforting effects..particularly good when desiring a calm ambience.

Comforting is exactly right… it’s soft and evocative.  The amber tones are rich, earthy and overwhelmingly Autumnal.  Perfect for warming up these dark evenings.

The quality in this candle is evident with a flame which burned evenly throughout the many hours of enjoyment I’ve had thus far.  The scent remains true and consistent from the first time you light it through to the moment it extinguishes itself.

The Ancienne Ambiance Scented Candle Collection is available to buy online and instore at Fenwick of Bond Street.

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OCCO  Motovun no3 Bath & Body Wash (£18)

Croatian-inspired OCCO are a new to the UK, natural brand with a wide range of luxury products.

The Motovun no3 range combines essences of Cypress Leaf, Labdanum, Oak, Cedar Leaf, Vetiver and Black Pepper, to create an earthy and woody selection.

They say:

Oil of cypress tree fuses with gentle oat-based cleansers with anti-oxidant properties, to help restore elasticity and cleanse your skin. Natural extracts of pine and oak calm and centre your mood.

With an impressive list of active ingredients including: Pine Oil, Cypress Oil and Sage Oil Grape Extract, OCCO’s Motovun No3 promises to be a moisturising experience.  Something that our skins definitely crave this time of year.

All OCCO products contain a minimum of 95% natural ingredients and 100% natural fragrance blended from absolutes, extracts and oils to reveal subtle top, heart and base notes. All products are free from parabens, sulphates, petrochemicals and synthetic colours.

The brand are set to open a central London boutique this Autumn but for now, you can purchase online and instore from Harrods and John Lewis.

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Haus of Gloi Parkin Bubbling Scrub ($9)

My latest Haus of Gloi order turned up yesterday morning and amongst it was the newly released Parkin Bubbling Scrub.

Heavy in black treacle, ginger and roasted chestnuts… the initial ginger sweetness morphs into a richer, darker base that lingers on the skin for hours.  Synonymous with Bonfire Night, I was delighted to scrub myself silly with this yesterday morning to mark the historic date.

Now, if only I had some real sticky Parkin to go with it *nom*

Parkin Bubbling Scrub is available online from Haus of Gloi (for a limited time).

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LUSH / Gorilla Perfumes – Tuca Tuca (from £2.50)

I wanted to include an out and out fragrance in this selection but I found myself struggling to choose.  Sure, there are many amber and woody offerings…. even heady orientals that would fit with the theme but as I was exploring my stash of lovely things, I remembered Tuca Tuca.

It’s a love it/hate it pick.  Mr. L hates it, I love it.  Not quite as much as I love some of LUSH’s other new fragrance offerings (I’m looking at you Lust and The Smell of Freedom) but by Jove it reminds me of Halloween!

Tuca Tuca is an explosion in a Parma Violet Factory… and in this house, Parma Violets are king… or yano… queen… whatever, I ain’t discriminating.  Even better if we can find the jumbo ones… am not fattist either.  It’s playful, girly and comforting all at the same time.  But most of all?  It’s impish… mischievous and defiantly bold.

A pied piper of fragrances.

Tuca Tuca is available instore at LUSH or online.

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Neals Yard Remedies Lip Gloss with Organic Orange Oil (£9)

Neals Yard Remedies are new to cosmetics and I’m finding it hard to decide if this is a gloss, a balm or maybe just a bit of both!

Advertised as a gloss, it does indeed leave a lovely (if subtle) sheen behind.  It’s non sticky and wears just as well under a lipstick as it does over it!

But the real beauty is in it’s scent!

I have literally spent an entire car journey with the end stuffed up my nostril.  Well, not *up* my nostril… that would just be dangerous, imagine if we had to brake?

Let me explain…

As a child, around this time of year… I used to make orange pomanders and use them to scent drawers and wardrobes around the house.  The organic orange oil is an acute reminder of those days.

It’s got enough tartness to it to steer it away from being sickly, but enough softness to stop it from smelling like a kitchen cleaner.  Fragrance blenders… I have so much respect for the delicate balancing act you do!

No parabens, no silicones and no carmine.  Neals Yard Remedies offers the first collection to include Soil Association certified cosmetics.  But I’m still all about that orange!

Neals Yard Remedies Lip Gloss with Organic Orange Oil is available to buy instore and online.

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What are some of your loveliest Autumnal scents?  And which season is your favourite?

I keep reading China Glaze Ingrid being described as a taupe or a greige.  I’m not pedantic over shade names… hell, I’m always getting corrected for describing them a bit squiffy, but Ingrid looks like an out and out brown to me.  Brown with gold micro-glitter.

It’s stunning, but the gold glimmer warms it up a bit too much for my skintone.  You can’t see the gold very well on my nails thanks to the overcast skies, but it’s clearly visible in the bottle.

I found Ingrid to be quite thin and three coats were needed to reach the above finish.  It’s a really lovely twist on the whole brown/greige/taupe (I’m so tempted to add ‘shitfingers’ – your fault Karleigh) and may be a great choice for those of you who find the trend leaves their skintone looking a bit flat.

Have you tried Ingrid yet?

This photo does not do the polish justice.  It’s one of those that needs a good dose of direct sunlight to light up the sparkles contained within the shade until they simply glow.

A beautiful deep plummy red with more sparkles than you can shake a stick at.  Simple gorgeous.

Wear was around the 3 day mark before the inevitable tip wear began to make it all look a little tired.  Application was great, 2 solid coats to achieve a great finish.

What can I say?  It’s a little pricey at £12.50 for 5.5ml. I paid half that in the beauty sale in Harrods a couple of weeks ago.  It’s a wonderful shade for Autumn though and is still available online at HoF.

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.

The other evening, after painting my nails in Essie’s Wrapped im Rubies… it ddn’t take me long to decide that it was a dull, dull colour…

…but I’ve changed my mind.  It’s not dull, it’s just not Summery.

Application was a teeny bit awkward, it seemed to remain sheer in certain places on the nail and I experienced a tiny bit of bubbling on my thumb.  To be fair though, I was in more of a hurry than usual… so it could well be down to my application skills (or lack of them on this occassion).

I’m on my 2nd full day of wear and tip wear is barely noticeable.  I did dent one nail despite my quick dry top coat, so it seems to be a slow dryer… deffo crack open the seche or alternative.  Essie Wrapped in Rubies is a beautiful bronzed-red with flecks of gold from the Winter 2007 collection… perfect for Autumn.

Shame it’s May!