A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

This Christmas, it’s the Chanel collection that caught my eye more than any other.  Those beautiful pinks and coppers that contain the perfect amount of shimmer/glitter for the holiday season without being gaudy.

I will always be drawn to palettes that promise to create a wonderful smoky eye and this was no exception.  The only thing that could possibly dampen my enthusiasm would be pigmentation.  I wasn’t sure how much power this quad would pack.  I needn’t have fretted.

Come to Mama….

I know I usually take blog photos before I start sticking my sausage fingers in my shadows but I think I had this one opened and swatched before I’d even left the shop.  Excuse the shadow dust!

And the swatches (swatched over eye primer)…

To say that I love this palette would be an understatement.  The coppery tones in the two darkest shades really accentuate the green in my eyes and the paler, more ethereal hues brighten my eyes beautifully.

I don’t kno if you’re interested in lazy girl’s makeup application… but mine goes something like this:  The darkest copper shade… I apply all over the mobile lid, right up to the socket line.  Then I take the pink (on the far right) and use this to blend the harsh edges.  I pat the glittery shade (on the far left) ontop of the copper and finally, use the ivory to highlight the inner corner and brow bone.

All that takes me less than 2 minutes because I don’t do anything intricate in the socket line, nor do any fancy stuff in the outer corner.  This palette gives me a gorgeous smoky look in minutes.  And that’s why I love it.

For me, it’s more than worth the £35 I paid for it.  Can you tell I love this palette?

I’m still unsure about whether or not to go for Chanel’s Holiday/Christmas lipstick in Magnolia…. it’s a lovely medium pink but I think it might just be a little too shimmery… frosty-looking even.

Either way, I couldn’t be more in love with the Chanel Tentation Cuivree palette that I picked up last week.

I’ll do a proper post with close up and swatches but here’s a very quick FOTD to be getting on with.

Face:

Prori Coffeeberry Perfecting Foundation #1
Eve Pearl Blush Trio – Sweet Cheeks

Eyes:

Les 4 Ombres Chanel Tentation Cuivree Palette (2 darkest shades)
Boots No7 Exceptional Definition Mascara
Illamasqua Eye Brow Cake in Gaze

Lips:

L’oreal Color Riche Serum Lipstick in Beamy Plum

As usual I’m doing my ‘use the least amount of products I can get away with’ trick.  Only out of necessity rather than choice.  I’m also currently trialling Priori Coffeeberry Perfecting Mineral Foundation which I’ll be reviewing as soon as I can get a well lit before/after shot.

Have a great Tuesday beauty addicts x

I promised some decent swatches of some of the goodies that my beautiful friend Julia sent me from her home country, the Philippines!  Is there anything more exciting than surprise swap parcels from far away destinations?  Errr NO!

By the way… check out the backdrop, same location but finally entered the 21st Century and got ourselves some of that new-fangled double-glazing stuff – here’s hoping this Winter will feel warmer than the last!

Ok, so back to the 4U2 I-Pro Professional Eye Make-Up Palette in Contemporary (what a mouthful!)…

Nicely packaged in a sturdy plastic housing that feels secure and substantial… it opens to reveal a large, clear and distortion-free mirror and 8 vibrant, shimmering eyehadow shades.

The shades all lean toward the pastel, so this will make a perfect choice for some fresh, Spring looks.  All pans have a texture like butter with a colour payoff that matches our own Sleek Makeup offerings.  The difference being that I don’t get the same amount of fall-out with these shades as I do with the Sleek eyeshadows.

And some swatches (on bare skin)…

Aren’t they lovely?

Colour me jealous… I want this brand to be accessible in the UK!  Who says we get all the best stuff? *sulk*

I believe (after conversion) that this retails at around £13 a palette?  You get about 2.5g of product per pan which works out at around £1.60 per eyeshadow.  I do love an economical purchase!

Are you currently lusting after anything from foreign shores?  Spill the beans!

The Estee Lauder holiday collection is upon us and it’s a veritable feast of Christmassy goodness.  Berries and golds take the centre stage in the colour stakes and the line-up oozes Yuletide charm.

On a personal level, I was a touch disappointed not to see two eyeshadow palettes as with the Summer collection (the palette on the left contains lip colour) but that’s the non-gloss fan in me talking.

I’m concentrating on the eye palette today which I was given at the recent press event.  For me, it’s the jewel of the collection.  At first, I thought the shades contained within were a bit ‘off’… although neutral, they’re all rather warm toned and I really wasn’t sure how this would play out against my very cool skin.  I needn’t have worried, they work delightfully well.

Let’s take a closer look at that eye palette shall we?

Packaging is a solid, acrylic housing with gold-coloured lid.  It feels well built, substantial and looks classy on my dressing table!

Read on for closer shots of the shade and swatches…

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I don’t know about you… but when I think of ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ makeup… it’s all I can do to stifle the yawns that try desperately to escape from my body and expose my feelings.

So when I opened an email and was greeted with this London Fashion Week image…

…I was a little surprised to learn that it came from Louise Amstrup’s SS11 show, where the makeup was represented by none other than natural brand Dr. Hauschka.

Known more for their iconic Rose Day Cream than their colour palettes, I couldn’t resist having a closer look at some of their pieces when I found myself in Whole Foods this week.

I was particularly taken with this palette:

Part of this year’s Summer Impressions collection, the Cool Breeze palette is creamy, pigmented and interesting.  Quite frankly… pretty much all the things I didn’t expect it to be.  Though, I will never like having my lip products in the same palette as powders and all this loveliness comes at a price.  £40 to be exact.

Do you have any preconceptions about all-natural makeup lines – are my sterotypes out of date?

The soon-to-be-released Black Palette from US eyeshadow maestro’s Urban Decay is an altogether darker affair than the recent Naked set…

The Black Palette includes 6, 1g eyeshadows, 1 mini 24/7 eye pencil in zero and a mini eyeshadow primer potion in new ‘shade’ Eden.  We haven’t seen Eden on these shores before so I was excited to be able to take a look when I received this sample last week.

The packaging is compact.  There’s been complaints about how cumbersome some of Urban Decay’s palettes are and they’ve clearly listened to the fans.  There are no hidden drawers or slots for your car keys.  Barely an inch of wasted space… infact, the included UDPP (Urban Decay Primer Potion) sits seperately from the palette once taken out of the exterior packaging.  The Urban Decay Black Palette is thoroughly portable if you need it to be.

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I took delivery of my Urban Decay Book of Shadows III yesterday!  Well… when I say ‘took delivery’, whoever Debenhams use as a courier left it in one of my hanging baskets.  In the rain.

Why I oughta! *shakes fist*

When I realised, I squealed… wrung my hands for a bit and then got Mr. L to open it while I peeked between my fingers anticipating a very soggy palette.  Thankfully, it had been double wrapped – phew!

It’s a case of image overload I’m afraid… put me in-front of a pretty palette and I get a bit carried away.

Now available online at Debenhams, The latest in the Urban Decay Book of Shadows series follows in the tradition of some rather nifty package design.  It’s another Pop Up!

UD <3 NYC – Check out the embossing on the lid… a fabulous homage to New York City!

Oh, did I mention it lights up?!

Want to see more pictures including close ups of the shades and swatches?  You gotta read past the jump… I can’t flood the homepage with the photos!

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You thought you’d seen all the palettes Urban Decay had to offer this Autumn/Fall/Winter?  Not yet you haven’t!

Introducing the antithesis to The Naked Palette…

Calling all rock chicks, Urban Decay have another new palette coming up and this one’s for you! The Black Palette (£23) is your antidote to spring pastels and summer neutrals.

Inspired by an era of explicit unbridled rock, Urban Decay’s The Black Palette is sure to unleash your inner Alice Cooper in no time!

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The Black Palette by Urban Decay allows even the meekest in the karaoke bar to own their inner rocker.

Conjure up your dark side with our six black-based shadows.  Create unlimited smokey-eye combinations that boost your confidence level to ‘no shame.’  Five shadows reveal veiled color shifts of blue, green, purple, gold and silver, and the sixth is pure deep black.

Whether you want deep coverage, or smudged out sheerness, these rich and velvety, unadulterated shades can party all night long and still look walk-of-shame worthy in the morning.
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Let’s take a closer look at the shades that will be included:

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BLACK DOG – A deep matte black
BARRACUDA – Black with silver shift
JET – Black with deep shimmering purple shift
SABBATH – Black with deep shimmering blue shift
COBRA – Black with shimmering gold shift
LIBERTINE – Black with deep shimmering green shift

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The Black Palette will also include a deluxe mini of Eden Eyeshadow Primer Potion (a matte finish nude eyeshadow primer) and a 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero.

Ohhh, I do love me a good smoky eye!

Urban Decay’s Black Palette (£23 or €33) will be available from September instore selected Boots, Debenhams & House of Fraser Stores and online at the usual Urban Decay stockists.

C’mon, tell me!

Here’s (a virtual) £60.

The catch is, you can only buy one thing with it and it’s got to be a palette.

And NO(!) it’s not allowed to be the new Urban Decay Naked palette or we’d all just say that one (mostly!)

Here’s my pick:

The LORAC Private Affair palette ($38)

Look at those beautiful cool tones!  I’m not saying that I’m wishing Autumn/Winter upon us… but if I had this palette, it would make the inevitable seasonal shift much easier to bear!

Anyone else fancy a bit of virtual Sephora Sweep – link me up!

The Smashbox Muse palette is from the 2009 Spring Collection.

10 positively creamy shades… pastels on top, stronger shades on the bottom.

The brush that it comes with is surprisingly soft and useable… the top row shades are gentle and spring-like, whilst the others comple the more dramatic pairing.

I’m delighted that I picked up this palette and right now, it’s an absolute steal over at Just Beauty Direct priced at £13.74

Do you wear pastels?

I done did it!

Thanks lovely ladies!  With your help, guidance and lack of “LIKE DUH, she doesn’t know where to apply her shadowz”, I created a look with the soon-to-be-released limited edition Estee Lauder Blue Dahlia palette I received at the recent blogger launch:

Excuse the wayward eyebrow, I’m honestly not raising it… why DOES it do that?  I look perpetually dubious about something.  I only included it so that I could show you how it looks like with eyes open.

That’s better! (slightly).  How gorgeous is the teal on the lid?  I wasn’t sure I’d be able to carry teal next to my blue/green eyes very well, but I can just about get away with it.

So here’s what I used (and where):

(Shade #1) On the lid and blended just into the socket line

(Shade #2) In the crease and blended above

(Shade #3) Underneath the lower lashline

(Shade #4) Blended in the outer-v and inbetween the upper lashes to darken

(Shade #5) Just above the upper lashline for a little sparkle when I blink!

Hoorah, I used all shades!  I totally forgot to highlight with anything… so lazy.

I really wasn’t sure about using the teal and navy adjacent to one another, but you guys inspired me and you were completely correct!

I found that all the shades were easy to blend and nicely pigmented.  The white lacks pigment, but I’m certain that it’s inended use is as a layering shade rather than a highlight… it adds a good amount of sparkle without disrupting the tone of the shade you’re applying it to.

The taupe is the softest shade in the palette, with an almost buttery finish.  The blues are slightly rougher in texture, but apply beautifully nonetheless.

I also used a sample of one of the new Pure Colour Glosses in shade Twilight Petal, a very pretty pinky-nude infused with sparkle.  It’s a bit sticky, but the flipside is a long lasting finish.

The Estee Lauder Blue Dahlia palette and Twlight Petal gloss are due for release in August.

I’ll just come out with it shall I?

Sleek MakeUP got in touch, they liked my idea of naming the individual shades in their i-Divine palettes (admittedly probably not original) SO much, that they’re going to name ALL past, present and future i-Divine shadows!!  How cool is that?

Oh, but that’s not the only thing…

They wondered if I’d mind terribly if they used the names I’d already invented for the Bohemian Palette?!  Hmmmm…. do I mind? Um… NO!

So… kinda officially…

I’m not sure how it’s gonna work for future palettes, if the names will be printed on the back or if they’ll just be referenced on the website…. whatever, not really bothered – LOOK!  I named 12 eyeshadows!

I would call this my proudest moment yet, but it might cost me a marriage and motherhood… so I won’t, but well… *squee*

I also have SOME EVEN MORE exciting news to break a little later in the week, so stay tuned!