A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Marrow was the shade that I had been looking forward to… the one that caught my attention back in February when it debuted on the catwalks at Vena Cava during New York Fashion Week.

It was finally released alongside the A/W collection and was one I didn’t pick up because swatch shots from the US girls hadn’t impressed me anywhere near as much as I hoped they would.

The Butter London Marrow that had been haunting my dreams (melodramatic, moi?) was this durgy purple and swatches had proven the release version to be a truer, safer shade.

And it just goes to show the value that great swatches has on my buying choices because they were right!  It’s not that Marrow is an unnattractive colour… far from it, it’s quite a striking blue hued purple… regal and perfect for winter.  It’s just different to what I had wanted it to be.

Marrow has a lovely subtle silver shimmer that was far too tricky for me to pick up in the above swatch… it’s touches like this that really set the brand apart from their rivals.  I am a big fan of Butter London and I get hugely excited at the rumblings of new releases to see if I can spot any emerging trends for future seasons.

Not the easiest brand to get hold of in the UK but you can pick them up online from Powder Rooms priced at £9.75 each.

The new SpaRitual Winter 2010 collection is titled Imagine and features 6 on-trend shades for the season ahead.

Unconditional Love – Deep rose foil metallic
Living in the moment – classy, understated mushroom crème
Health, Wealth & Happiness – Luxurious dramatic two-tone blue, purple metallic

Endless Possibilities – Intense black cherry plum crème
Dreams Becoming Reality – Dramatic teal blue crème
A World of Compassion – Deep lilac crème

Not only big 3 free, all SpaRitual shades are also vegan.  One of my favourite things about the brand is the packaging.  The bulbous bottles feel luxurious and curvy, whilst the caps are simply perfectly shaped and proportioned for use.  The patented design features rubber grips which are moulded for a comfortable experience.

I was sent two of the shades from the collection to swatch… I’ll start with Endless Possibilities:

Endless Possibilities is a cherry black creme, incredibly glossy with a smooth glass-like finish.  THe above photo shows no top coat… nice huh?

It applied very nicely, and was opaque in two coats.  Impressive.  I didn’t experience any chipping but as with most very dark shades like this, tip wear was apparent by the end of the 2nd day.

Another 2-coater, Health, Wealth and Happiness is one incredibly sexy shade.  A Blue/Purple duochrome… the two-tone flashes are spell-binding yet sophisticated.  Application was consistent with the other polish and again, the swatch shot features no top coat.

Wear was a little better on this polish… again, no chips but tip wear wasn’t quite so apparent.

SpaRitual polishes are priced at £7.23 (exc. VAT) each and available online from SpaRitual

Recommended!

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.

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?

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.

If you ever need a brand to remind you that it ain’t just about the pretty pretty, Illamasqua is a pretty good choice to be the one to do it.

Art of Darkness is their new Autumn/Winter collection for 2010, and if there’s one thing they do very well indeed…  ‘Dark’ just about sums it up.

Launching nationwide on the 16th September, the collection will introduce new liquid eyeliners priced at £16.50 each called Precision Inks.  An antiqued gold going by the name Alchemy (as seen in the above image) and the usual ever-useful black.

I’ve also heard tales of other new delights including a shimmering teal green nail polish called Viridian, which I think is safe to assume can be spotted in the above campaign image… and to complete your Christmas mani?  A metallic red going by the name Scarab.

If that weren’t enough to whet your appetite… how about a new gold powdered metal or a vampy intense lipgloss?

Are you looking forward to the new Illamasqua collection or have we seen it all before?

The Autumn/Winter Fashion Week vids are up!

Here’s 3 very different NARS looks created using some of the new products available this season.

3.1 PHILLIP LIM

Lead Artist:

~ Lisa Butler for NARS Cosmetics

Key Products Used:

~ Douceur Blush (new for Autumn!), Coconut Grove Single Eyeshadow (new for Autumn!), Abyssinia Eyeshadow, London Eyeliner Pencil, Sex Machine Velvet Matte Lip Pencil, Luxor Multiple, Riviera Multiple

.THAKOON

Lead Artist:

~  Diane Kendal for NARS Cosmetics

Key Products Used:

~ Douceur Blush (new for Autumn!), Coconut Grove Eyeshadow (new for Autumn!), Tzarine Duo Eyeshadow (new for Autumn!), Portobello Duo Eyeshadow, Belle de Jour Lipstick

MARC JACOBS

Lead Artist:

~ François Nars, Founder & Creative Director, for NARS Cosmetics

Key Products Used:

~  NARS Enchanted Cream Blush, NARS D. Gorgeous Eyeshadow, NARS Nuits Blanches Eyeliner Stylo, NARS Black Moon Eyeliner Pencil, NARS Barbarella Lipstick