A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Still on the theme of warming things up a bit in hopeful anticipation of a glorious Summer, I’ve got another lovely bright lip to show you.  This one comes with a difference though, it’s a liqui-gel formula that can also be used as a long-lasting cheek stain.

Beauté Cosmetics hail from Canada, brainchild of makeup artist Beau Nelson.  The range includes lip cremes, glosses, brushes and these lovely liqui-gel stains.  I already own a lip creme (which I don’t believe I’ve ever blogged about) but knew that I wanted to buy one of the liqui-gel stains after reading about them a couple of years ago on LondonMakeupGirl’s blog.

How ridiculous(ly cool) does it look in the tube?  I think, if I’m honest, it’s probably what attracted me in the first place.  Super-neon coral with a cool pink flash?  Awesome.  Don’t worry though, it doesn’t apply anywhere near as scarily as it suggests it will!  Once applied and blended on the lips or cheeks, it’s a really wearable warm pink – perhaps a little vibrant for some, but so very beautiful.

As far as application goes, it’s pretty forgiving once you get used to the texture.  It doesn’t set immediately and gives a fair amount of playtime to get things right before you’re stuck with clown cheeks for the entire day.  Buildability is the key to success with this one, don’t apply a load in one go, especially on the lips or you’ll struggle getting the formula to sit well.  Once the stain has set (after about a minute) you’ll be rewarded with some delicious colour that won’t budge for hours.

The above photo shows Fluoron worn alone on bare lips with a little on my cheeks, I should have applied a touch more for the sake of the camera but I was wary of overdoing it.  Hopefully, you can still make out the colour well enough.  I don’t generally enjoy wearing stains too much but I’m making an exception for this one, or should I say… it’s made an exception for me.

Beauté Liqui-Gel Lip and Cheek Stain in Fluoron is available to buy online in the UK from GuruMakeupEmporium and CocoBeau priced at £23.50

What’s your favourite lip and cheek stain?

Can you feel it coming?  The birds are beginning to sing a slightly more cheerful tune, the flowers are peeking their tiny heads out from beneath the frozen ground and the dark evenings are gradually fading into longer twilights.  Sure, it ain’t exactly warming up yet… but I’m optimistic that we’re over the worst of it.  Maybe.

The fact that I took delivery of the Boots No7 Floral Brights Spring 2012 Collection* this morning may have had something to do with the new-found spring in my step (pardon the pun).  Look at that packaging, I love it and I usually quite dislike white cosmetic packaging.  Mind you, I used to hate white gadgets too… *hides all Apple technology*.

The new Lisa Eldridge-created collection consists of: one eye palette, one complexion highlighter, two cream blushers and two lipsticks.  No nail polishes this time.  Boo.

Want a closer look?

This prettily packaged eye palette reminds me of the Avon Marimekko ones from a few years back, does anyone remember those?  Anyway, the No7 Vital Brighetning Eye Palette offers five warm-toned shades with four neutrals and a pop of golden-yellow.  Nothing too dark here, this is all about bringing some light to the face and brightening the eye area.  I tend to prefer cooler tones on my eyes but I do like the satin-finish of these, they’re not too metallic and showy.  Texture is a touch soft but they blend nicely and last very well on primed eyelids.

Next up is the No7 Vital Enlightening Highlighter, a smooth champagne highlighting powder that applies with more sophistication and refinement than I expected.  It imparts a non-metallic glow when used with a light hand and is neutral enough not to look too warm, or too pink on my skintone.  No7 generally do highlighting powders very, very well and if you’re in the market for a new one, this is worth a look.

A real standout in the collection are their two new blushers.  The No7 Vital Brights Cream Blushers in Blooming Pink (fuchsia) and Blossoming Pink (guava) are a cream-to-powder formulation that pack a real punch of vibrancy whilst still being able to blend down to a wearable flush without streaking.  The formula is *so* spot on with these… I own cream blushers that cost twice as much and apply literally, half as well as these do.  Highly recommend checking these out while they’re still available.

My other favourite from the collection are the two new No7 Vital Brights Lipstick shades that allude to the popular lightweight formula the beauty world can’t get enough off, whilst boasting more buildable pigmentation levels than most gel-style lipsticks.  They’re knockout shades too… Blooming Pink is the killer, cool-toned fuchsia which looks great with a slick of black liner and will carry you confidently through to Summer.  Blossoming Pink is a slightly cool-toned nude which will please women who prefer a safer lip-shade.  It’s nude without being too pale, more of a perfecting lip shade than a colour statement.  How this one turns out will really depend on your natural lip colouring.

Without wanting to sound like a major fangirl, there’s not a dud in the collection.  If you twisted my arm, I’d say that you could probably leave the eye palette on the shelf.  It’s a little bit soft and doesn’t tick my must-have requirements in the same way as some of the other pieces.  Do not let this limited edition collection pass you by without going in for a closer look at the lipsticks and blushes though.  That’s an order.

If you can bring yourself to, please excuse the bottom right cam-whoring.  I couldn’t – in all seriousness – where such a horrifically clashing lip shade and not ham it up a bit.  In all photos I’m wearing the eye palette, blossoming pink cream blush and highlighter.  It’s hopefully clear enough in which photos I’m wearing which lipstick.  Does that make sense?

No7 Vital Brighetning Eye Palette – 4g (£13.00)
No7 Vital Enlightening Highlighter – 10g (£13.00)
No7 Vital Brights Cream Blushers in Blooming Pink or Blossoming Pink – 2g (£10.00)
No7 Vital Brights Lipsticks in Blooming Pink or Blossoming Pink – 3.5g (£10.00)

Have you got your eye on any pieces from the new Spring Collection?  Already bought something – let me know!

The No7 Floral Brights Spring 2012 Collection is available exclusively in Boots stores now and online at Boots.com until the 6th March 2012.  It’s worth pointing out that No7 products are also currently on 3for2.

* press samples

I picked these Paula Dorf Cheek Color Cream Blushes up from eBay a couple of months ago and have only gotten around to swatching and playing recently.  They’re sheer, a little greasy-feeling and build nicely to create a natural-looking flush of colour.  My dry skin tolerates these well.

Cha Cha and Dollface will be wearable on most skintones whilst Disco is warmer and more suited to darker skintones than mine, although it is actually the sheerest of the three and with a bit more practice, I may be able to make it work once Summer comes around.  Maybe.  The Paula Dorf Cheek Color Creams have no discernable smell and apply smoothly with a stippling brush – fingers don’t seem to work quite so well for me with these.

I won’t blather on seeing as this is supposed to be a swatch post rather than an indepth review!

Do you prefer cream or powder blush?

There’s always a bit of excitement in the air when Benefit release a new boxed blusher because a). they’re generally pretty damn good and b). they’re kinda cute.  Well, the latest addition to the blusher lineup doesn’t disappoint on either of those scores and nicely fills a little gap in the Benefit blusher market for a netral-toned rose.

Despite having a total of four different shades in the same pan, Hervana is designed to be swirled together to create a single shade – infact, you’d physically struggle to load a brush with a single shade.  The packaging, despite being the usual Benefit cardboard offering, seems as though it would be substantial enough to see it through its lifetime and the brush makes for a decent application if you don’t posess a blusher brush you’re already happy to use.

My pink skin-tone pulls Hervana toward the cool side of the spectrum, obviously making the most of that fuchsia-pink shade in the pan.  This makes Hervana offer something very different to some of my other Benefit blushes which lean a lot warmer in tone.  Because of the peach shades within the Hervana spectrum, you may find that your skintone pulls the blush in a different shade direction to mine, something to be wary of when swatching for yourself.  I really love the ultra-fine satin finish which adds a little luminosity and lift to the complexion without exagerrating pore size or fine lines.

Overall, Hervana is definitely one that I’m happy to recommend.  Providing the shade works for you, I can’t see you experiencing any application problems with this one – it blends smoothly and evenly and lasts well throughout the day.

Benefit Hervana is currently out of stock on the Benefit website but is available to buy on counter or online at ASOS, priced at £23.50

* press sample

NARS Holiday Collection didn’t catch my eye as readily as some of the other recent collections, but as a long-time fan of the brand’s Multiples, I have to admit that my curiosity was piqued by the new shade G-Spot.

The name… it’s atrocious isn’t it.  Thankfully though, the product… isn’t.

A rosy flush with a subtle golden edge that applies smoothly and blends effortlessly with either fingers or a brush – it’s a lazy girl’s dream.  I haven’t experienced any issues with application despite trying it over mineral, liquid and cream foundation in an attempt to pick some holes in the formula.

Compared to some of my other NARS multiples, I find my G-Spot (har har) to be quite silky (oh stop it already)…

In all seriousness though, this is a great shade with a solid formula, usefully packaged and easy to use.  I’ve sampled a couple of items from the Holiday Collection and this is the absolute stand-out-if-you-get-one-NARS-item-get-this-one.  Got it?

NARS G-Spot Multiple is available online or on counter, priced at £29.00

Are you a NARS Multiple fan?

* press sample

I picked this Estee Lauder blush up recently from the lovely Perilously Pale‘s blog sale and fell immediately in love with it once it dropped through my letterbox.

As a very pink-skinned thing, I used to be scared of anything that was warmer toned.  I still struggle to wear peach tones on my eyes and lips, but as a hint of blush?  Peach tends to look the most natural against my skin and is my favourite for toning down the redness that already exists in that area.

Estee Lauder Peach Nuance is a gradiated blush that swirls together to create a very pretty flush.  I would assume this shade will suit most skin colours.  If you’re bothered enough, I’m sure you could be selective about applying the peach segment/pink segment individually but I just use the entire gradiant swirled as one.

The blush has a matte finish with a silky texture that applies evenly and blends effortlessly.  It builds pigmentation quickly on my pale skin but if you’re a heavy-handed type – you’d probably get on well with this as it’s hard to overdo with just a single swipe.

Priced at £24.00, the Estee Lauder Signature Silky Powder Blush range looks to have some very pretty shades that I have added to my ‘must go and obsess over at the counter’ list.  It’s a long list.

Do you favour pink cheeks or peachy cheeks?!

Rituals Sunglow Cheek & Eye Glow in Peach is a multi-tasking palette filled with some truly lovely warm-toned shades that work well even on my cool skin tone.

The palette (which contains a generous 9g of product) is currently on sale on the Rituals website and reminds me of a more affordable version of something like Laura Mercier’s Shimmer Bloc or Bobbi Brown’s Shimmer Brick.

A total of five colours that harmonise well together to create some different eye-variations or if swirled gently with a large, fluffy brush will impart a warm glow to the cheeks.

My preferred way of using this is as an eye palette, it’s one of those no-nonsense palettes that does the hard work for you.  The shade placements are pretty obvious and the mineral formula means that these shades blend together effortlessly.

The high shimmer finish means that this won’t be to everyone’s tastes and when I use this on my cheeks, I use just the tiniest touch over the top of my blusher and edging my cheekbone rather than the apple of my cheek.  In other words, I use this more as a highlighter than a blusher.

I’ve got some swatches below and I’ll make this the feature of my next FOTD – it is quite Autumnal after all no?

A comparison with my other peachy shimmer palettes (Prescriptives The Illuminator, Rituals Sunglow Peach, Bobbi Brown Shimmer Block in Nectar)…

Of the three, the Rituals is the most genuinely multi-functional but also the softest-textured, meaning that it imparts a lot of product onto the brush and creates a little dust when working with it.  The Bobbi Brown is hard-textured and doesn’t work anywhere near as well as eyeshadow but is my preferred option for blush.  The Prescriptives?  Well, seeing as you can’t get it anymore… there’s not much point me going on about it!

Rituals Sunglow* also comes in a range of pinks and a bronze-toned version.  Currently on the Rituals website priced at £17.90

* press sample

Do you remember Streetmate?  That thing with Davina Mccall terrorising innocent people and trying to get them to cop off with other equally innocent strangers out doing their Saturday shopping?

Well, Soap & Glory’s Cheekmate has absolutely nothing to do with that, sorry.

Cheekmate* is a new gel blusher from the British brand best-known for their cheeky one-liners and ever-popular bodycare products.  I received a sample from their cosmetics launch which I was unable to attend and it arrived in the shape of this unassuming tube of red liqui-blush.

I say unassuming because this thing packs one hell of a pigmented punch.  I’ll let some pictures do the talking…

Easy to dispense and a little goes a very long way!

It imparts a nice rosy glow which blends well into moisturised skin.  Definitely apply this before any powder products and my top tip would be to apply before foundation too as inevitably, you’ll want to tone down the clown cheeks just a touch before venturing outside the front door.  Or perhaps that’s just me.

I love the translucency of the product that allows it to appear more of a flush across the cheeks as opposed to something that’s been painted on.  I would love to see this available in a peachier shade too.  As for use on the lips, I don’t recommend it because it tastes, frankly revolting until it sets dry.  I would never reach for this to use on my lips over a simple swipe of coloured balm as a less-drying alternative.

A final point to note about Soap & Glory’s Cheekmate is that this stuff STAINS.  The above photo shows my fingers after washing my hands.  This obviously means that the product sets and stays in place on my cheeks for most of the day but it also renders my fingertips unsightly.  A little thing, but worth noting.

Soap & Glory Cheekmate is available online and instore at Boots, priced at a very reasonable £8.00

* press sample

I couldn’t keep this one under wraps any longer. I was going to save it ’til last but like a fat kid with a plate of biscuits, I’m licking the chocolate off the digestives.

With the charm of a vintage postcard, the very essence of Paris has been captured in this season’s blush palette. The silhouette of the Eiffel Tower, the typically Parisian Art Nouveau streetlamp lighting the cobbled pavement outside the historical House of Lancome at 29, rue du Faubourg Saint Honore makes this palette a true work of art.

Three soft shades combine to make up this palette which can be used either as a highlighter or a blusher depending on skin-tone. It contains a very fine golden shimmer beneath the overspray which lifts the matte formula and adds another dimension.

I personally wouldn’t recommend trying to use the shades independently of one another, they’re sheer and the small surface area would simply make that endeavour a giant pain the in backside. Instead, a fluffy brush will pick up plenty of product (it’s a touch powdery) and deposit a little more than a wash wherever desired.

As mentioned, this is sheer but build-able. Sheerer than I thought it would be so if you’re a darker skin-tone you may want to have an SA try this on you before purchasing. For fairer skins, you may have just found your ‘can’t overcook it’ blush of choice this Winter.

I’d describe the shade (all three colours combined) as a pale rose with a hint of sparkle. The above swatch was done with a finger (2 layers) and I found that the Maison Lancome blush nicely deposits luminosity aswell as colour, making this a good potential highlighter if your skin tone will allow it. It’s not at all metallic or shimmery so you don’t need to worry about it highlighting enlarged pores.

Aaron de Mey, Lancome’s Global Make-Up Director suggests…

Use as an overall cheek blush with a large, soft fluffy brush, keeping it high and central on the cheekbones. It adds soft, sheer colour and definition to the face by illuminating the cheekbones.

Maison Lancome Blush is priced at £32.50 and will be available at Lancome counters nationwide from 1st September 2011

* press sample

A gaggle of geese, a school of fish, a colony of ants… a… a… a.. nest of NARS?

Whatever you want to call it, here are some of my favourite NARS blushes in all their shamefully dirty glory (I really should give these a wipe over!).

Considering I’m such a cool-toned chick, you might be able to tell I have a fondness for peachy cheeks (no sniggering at the back).  I just find that with a light touch, it warms up my complexion and looks more natural and less doll-like than the pinks.

My latest acquisitions (you may be able to spot them from the fact that they’re less dusty!) are Gilda and Mata Hari.  I picked up Gilda from the ASOS/Groupon super deal, ahhh… I want another one of those!

Anyway, there’s no real reason to this post other than for me to have an excuse to play with my NARS blushes.  Sorry, indulge me!  Here have some swatches…

Douceur – A neutral matte shade that has enough pink in it to be a delightful option for cool-toned skin.  Swatched heavily here, I’d call it a must-own simply because (with a light hand) it will add a touch of colour to your cheeks without clashing.

Mata Hari – This always feels like a proper wintery rose shade.  Another matte, it’s heavily pigmented and a touch powdery.  I haven’t worked out how to make this work flawlessly for me but I want to persevere!

Torrid – A bit scared of this when I bought it but it’s gorgeous.  A proper peach with sparkles!  Used with a light hand I can make this work nicely against my colouring but I do need to double check in different lighting before venturing outdoors (just in case I’ve tangoed myself!)

Gilda –  It’s a gorgeous shade but I haven’t got the application of this one down yet.  Perhaps it’s just a bit too warm and matte for me, either way… it’s another one I want to learn to love.

Deep Throat – My favourite NARS blush.  It’s a pinker, more pigmented version of Orgasm with silvery sparkles compared to the dusting of gold that runs through the big O.  It’s a perfect peachy pink and one that I will repurchase forever more.

Orgasm – The cult favourite is also a hit with me!  Warmer than Deep Throat and a little sparklier, I often pair this one with other blushes (particularly mattes) to give a more 3D appearance.

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Do you own any NARS blushes?  Which are your favourites?

Courtesy of Cocktail Cosmetics, I’m delighted to be able to offer one of my lovely readers the chance to win a full 12 pan La Femme Blush palette complete with 12 amazingly pigmented blushes!

If you want to see the awesomeness of these blushes in action, check out my review here for some swatches.

To win the La Femme Blush Palette, simply answer the following question…

How many shades are available in the full range of La Femme Cosmetics Blush On Rouge Refill Pans?

Tip: You can find the answer at the bottom here

T&C
1. Entry open to UK & European residents by email only.
2. One winner will be picked at random from all entries.
3. One entry per email address.
4. Lipglossiping.com is the sole promoter of this competition.
5. Competition closes on Monday 2nd May 2011 at 23.59.
6. Winner will be notified by email within 5 days of the close of the competition.
7. No email addresses will be stored once the competition has closed and will only be used to contact the winner.

I love to get my teeth stuck into a new beauty infatuation, not that I need another one… so the fact that it’s an affordable obsession makes it all the more appealing!

I bought an empty 12 pan palette from Cocktail Cosmetics and 4 blush pans to satisfy my initial cravings.

From Left to Right: Mocha, Coral Spice, Pink Velvet & Misty Plum.  The pans are 36mm, each holding a generous 5.5g of product which cost me a measly £2.95 per pan.

These blushes are deeply pigmented and I wouldn’t apply without using a stippling brush for the lightest dusting on my fair skin.  I’ve been tapping the surface gently with the brush before stippling along my cheek and then blending with something a bit fluffier.

Three of the four I own are matte, Coral Spice is the only sparkler of the bunch with just a light dusting of glimmer that’s completely wearable.

L-R: Mocha, Coral Spice, Pink Velvet, Misty Plum

Aren’t they gorgeous?  With the exception of Pink Velvet… the above photo shows a single swatch of each shade.  Pink Velvet is a little less pigmented than the rest and I swatched it twice.

The blush lasts for most of the day, easily equal to the majority of my NARS shades.  The only negative I have is that they suffer from some fallout, they’re a little ‘dusty’ in the pan.  When I tap the surface of Mocha… I need to blow the dust from the surface of the pan before I can close the lid.

If you can see past the bingo wings (I know I can’t), this shows a cheek swatch of Pink Velvet which is the perfect pop of pink.

I also purchased the La Femme Twelve Pan Empty Palette (£10.95) to hold my goodies in which is one of those sturdy cardboard numbers .   It appears to be well constructed with strong magnetism and now scrappy corners.  I’m also pleasantly surprised by how lightweight and slimline the palette is.

I’m so pleased these are finally available to pick up in the UK!  Get your bums over to Cocktail Cosmetics and commence hauling immediately!