A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Literally. It’s not wishful, it’s damn lustful. Now that we’ve finished furnishing the flat, I’m putting aside a little money each month for some lovely beauty things that have been catching my eye recently.  It’s only fair that I be rewarded for my diligence, stiff upper lip and horrifying withdrawal symptoms, no?

Well here’s what I was daydreaming about last weekend…

01: Burberry Lip Velvet in Bright Poppy (£22.50) – I’m not sure if they’re out yet but these matte lipsticks promise to throw away the rule book when it comes to matte lip texture.  Hydrating?  I’ll believe it when I see wear it.

02: La Roche Posay Hydreane BB Cream (£15) – Oh, um.  HELL YES.  A BB cream formulated by La Roche Posay has me salivating at the thought.  I’m like a 6yr old on Christmas morning – hoping, praying that what’s under the tree is as good as she hopes.

03: Yves Rocher Flawless Finish Fluid Foundation in Rose 100 (£9.60) – Try saying that after a few.  I can hardly say it now (hides the bottle).  I tried this one on the back of my hand in the Yves Rocher store in Prague and it looked/felt soooo good but I’d already stretched my no-makeup budget to the max on some eyeshadows AND I’m currently in love with their BB cream (review coming soon!) so I skipped on this.  And now I can’t stop thinking about it.

04: Terry de Gunzburg Haute Parfumerie Flagrant Delice (£68) – I wrote about these a few weeks ago but have since had a cheeky spritz of Flagrant Delice on my wrist and I’m captivated.  Creamy almond milk and sun-ripened fig make for the most delicious combination that not only I, but Leila too have fallen in love with.  She says it’s a very “mummy” smell which I’m taking to mean that it makes her feel as downright comforted as it does me.  Honestly, such a beautiful and lingering scent. Wantsies. Can’t affordsies!

05: Orla Kiely Geranium and Myrrh Candle (£24) – I do have a soft spot for Orla Kiely, I know that those bloody designs are everywhere but, c’mon… they are brilliantly retro and modern all at once.  I was actually hoping I’d prefer the scent of the lime green design, seeing as that would have been the one to match my decor.  But in typical sod’s law-style fashion, it’s the Geranium & Myrrh in resplendent red that I’m lusting after.

What lovely things have you been lusting after recently?

Last month, I attended a ByTerry event to showcase the French brand and in particular, two new foundations that have hit the counters recently.

Sheer-Expert and Cover-Expert are the two new formulas from ByTerry’s creator Terry de Gunzburg.  As you may have guessed from their names, the major difference between the two are the coverage that they offer.

According to the brand…

Sheer Expert provides adjustable coverage, smoothes and plumps features and dims imperfections and signs of fatigue.  The natural satin finish adjusts and blends into your natural skin colour to reveal a perfect complexion with a sheer effect.

Cover Expert corrects all imperfections and flaws (including dark circles, freckles (flaw?!?!) wrinkles, fine lines or expression lines) while immediately lifting, smoothing and illuminating.  The matte satin formula is undetected on skin and provides an illuminated, unified, smooth skin tone.

Priced at £44 each for 35ml, they’re as you would expect, priced for the luxury end of the market but unlike a lot of their luxury counterparts, the range is impressively inclusive with a full 12 shades from the lightest to darkest skin shades available.

I was given a tube of the Cover-Expert foundation, after being matched to #4 Rosy Beige and have been trying it out over the past month.  I have to say, it’s been a difficult month for a foundation to be tested on my skin… adjusting to the central-heating coming on has cause all manner of dryness and irritability, so this foundation has really been up against it, so to speak.

It’s rose-scented (as is much of the ByTerry lineup) and has a distinct silicone feel to the formula… which isn’t surprising when you look at the top three ingredients listed: Cyclopentasiloxane, Aqua and Dimethicone.  This does give a good, smoothing and softening effect over my imperfections but doesn’t play too well with my skin dryness.  I have to give this foundation a well-moisturised base to avoid the dreaded flakies – but to its credit, it does behave well as long as I prep my skin adequately.

The shade is a wonderful match, which is surprising as I never have to go as high as a #4 in anything usually!  Pale girls, check this range immediately.

As for the coverage… I’d actually describe this as a little less than full.  It’s not in the same league as something like Estee Lauder Double Wear, my benchmark for wearable full coverage!  The ByTerry Cover-Expert foundation is a medium-to-full coverage which is fine for wearing during the daytime.  It reduces the redness around my nose without obliterating it or preventing my natural skin texture to show through.

I also find that it makes excellent use of light reflection, despite a matte finish – I feel that the hollows under my eyes are softened thanks to some clever light trickery – something which we all know Terry is notoriously good at (hello Touche Eclat!).

If you’re normal or even oily-skinned – you may find a perfect foundation partner with this new high-tech foundation from ByTerry.  Me?  Well, it makes me work a little harder than I’d like… but the result is worth it and this may well come in to its own once the weather gets a little warmer.  It’s a keeper, I’ll let you know if it’s a repurchas-er!

Sheer-Expert and Cover-Expert are available to buy now from SpaceNK, priced at £44 for 35ml and available in 12 shades.

* press sample

I do the school run a few times a week for my neice and it’s made me realise that what little time I have in the mornings to make myself look human is going to decrease drastically when Leila reaches school age.

I can barely bring myself to pull clothes over my head, let alone apply makeup but I have a duty not to scare the under 8s and so I diligently make an attempt at disguising my 7am death mask with a hint of colour. As you’ll see, I don’t go much on product this early in the morning.

Infact, I rarely use more than four: foundation, mascara, lipgloss and blush.  Of the four, blush is most essential to avoiding that freshly dug up look, as is mascara – lashings of it.

As for my hair? Well I’m just pleased it’s the right time of year for wearing a hat.

Products Used:

• ByTerry Perfecting Fluid Foundation Ultra Correcting Coverage (full review coming soon)
• Illamasqua Rude Cream Blush
• Bobbi Brown Extreme Party Mascara
• BarryM Toffee Lipgloss

What’s your laziest face of the day?

…and because that name isn’t quite daft enough, I’m also christening it “the polish for women who don’t dig polish”.  Do you think it’ll catch on?

In the same way that I wouldn’t linger about ripping a bandaid off your arm hairs, I’ll also let you know that this bottle will set you back 20 of your British pounds.  Did you catch that?  £20.  For a nail polish.  Not even 15ml of nail polish.  10ml.

Which might go some way to explaining the name that I’ve given this polish.  Forget your Pink Pongs… this is a polish for women who don’t dig polish and I’ll tell you why:

1). It practically applies itself.
2). It doesn’t need a top coat.
3). It was opaque in one coat.
4). It may well survive nuclear war.

It’s the perfect polish for ladies who don’t normally ‘do’ nails but suddenly find themselves with the need for a nail polish that isn’t going to fail them in any way, shape or form.  ByTerry Terrybly Nail Laque in Pink Pong is a practically perfect polish.

But as a chick who digs nail polish and digs applying nail polish… I’d personally rather spend £20 on 3 bottles that give me a bit of trouble when applying, need a top coat but come in a shade that make me go ‘ooooh’!

Quite frankly, I’d feel sick at myself for spending £20 on one nail polish… though perversely, I’m ok with spending £39 on a blush.  Maybe I should just shut up because I’m suffering from a clear case of double-standards.

Terrybly Nail Laque By Terry* is available instore at SpaceNK or online, priced at £20

* press sample

Terry de Gunzburg, founder of cult beauty brand By Terry is making a one day personal appearance on Wednesday 17^th November at the Space NK Duke of York Store, Kings Road.

Customers are invited to book in for 45 minute consultations during which time they will receive a makeover from a By Terry international makeup artist overseen and personalised by Terry herself.  All attendees will leave with a complimentary By Terry gift bag.  A £50, fully redeemable booking fee applies.

As places are limited, customers are asked to book in advance either in store or by calling the following number – 0207 730 0834.