A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Please, for the love of all things vanity-driven, excuse the ‘left to dry naturally until it looks like shit’ hair.  Please.

Brushes mentioned:

E.L.F – Bamboo Angled Blush Brush (£5.50)
E.L.F – Studio Blush Brush (£3.50)
E.L.F – Studio Small Precision Brush (£3.50)
E.L.F – Studio Powder Brush (£3.50)

Boots No7 – Concealer Brush (£3.00 with till spit)
Boots No7 – Eyeshadow Brush (£0.75 with till spit)

Crown Brush – C139 Stiff Tapered Crease Brush (£2.95)
Crown Brush – C217 Bent Liner Brush (£2.60)

Stila – #4 Precision Eyeliner Brush (£3.50)

Revlon Vital Radiance – Brow Brush (£1.29)

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Do you agree with any of my choices?  What are your favourite cheap makeup brushes?

Superdrug have been raising the beauty stakes lately.  First with their new beauty card, some great new brand exclusives and now a new range of affordable makeup brushes designed for the more makeup-savvy among us.

The Superdrug PRO Make Up Brush range contains eight new brushes in total.  Each brush is hand-crafted with 100% natural hair and as you’ve come to expect from Superdrug, all are BUAV approved (bunny friendly).

I have a few of the brushes from the new range and have been putting them to the test over the past week or so.  My feelings on each brush vary, so I thought I’d do a quick speed-review of each one.  Let’s get started…

PRO: 02 POWDER BRUSH is a fluffy, domed brush with a softness that belies its price tag.  I would have liked to see a little more weight to it and there is a tiny hint of scratchiness but nothing that would particularly bother me.  It grabs product well and disperses evenly across the face.  The fibres are dense but fairly loosely packed ensuring a light but buildable application.  I didn’t experience much shedding either or on my face, or when washing.  Good stuff.   £9.99

PRO: 11 EYE SHADOW BRUSH – WIDE is a nice tool for applying a wash of colour over the lids.  Again, it’s not the most densely packed brush which means that you’ll be able to build pigmentation with this effectively but it may end up frustrating you if you like to pack colour on quickly.  It also works well to blend harsh lines in a pinch, easily soft enough not to irritate the delicate skin around the eye area.  I have quite small lids and did end up wishing that it were a touch smaller.  £7.99

PRO: 13 EYE SHADOW BRUSH – ROUND isn’t one of my preferred brushes.  It’s nicely shaped with an excellent taper that really allows for some precision work but I just found this one a little too scratchy to use comfortably.  A real shame  because it has some nice resistance to the fibres that will allow you to get right into the corner of the eye and underneath the lashline with confidence that the head won’t splay.  £6.99

PRO: 14 SLANTED EYE LINER BRUSH makes for the 2nd disappointment in the set.  I simply find it too large and soft to give enough precision to line my eyes.  As I draw the brush across my eyelids, it tries to find its own path of least resistance, buckling under the weight of the drag.  Not great.  £5.99

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Overall, I think the range is a useful but not outstanding addition to the store.  It’s always nice to have more choices where budget brushes are concerned but none of the ones I’ve tried above hold a candle to my favourite ELF Studio brushes.

If you want to check these out for yourselves, you’ll be interested to learn that Superdrug are offering the entire collection at a special introductory price until 22nd November with prices starting from only £3.99 (concealer, lip) and ranging up to £8.49 for the most expensive (foundation, powder).

Have you tried the new Superdrug PRO Make Up Brushes yet?

* press sample

If there’s one thing I associate with the Czech Republic (other than beer), it’s the country’s long and distinguished history of working with glass.  Czech glass is world renowned for it’s quality and craftsmanship.

I took delivery of a sample nail file a few weeks ago from Mont Bleu, a company based on the outskirts of Prague who produce tempered glass nail files by hand.

It arrived in a substantial leatherette mock-croc gifting box.

The nail file itself is tucked inside, housed in a velvet pouch and arrived with an authenticity card.  All these little extra touches really single a product out as being gift-worthy!

I received the Red Medium Nail File with Swarovski Crystals in a ‘marbles’ design which you can view online here.

It’s a well-made product as one might expect and is comparable to my Leighton Denny file in both size and quality.  I’ve used it daily to give it a thorough wear test and so far, the surface has remained as pristine as the day it arrived.

My one distinction in the quality between them would be that the Mont Bleu file feels ever so slightly “grittier” when filing than the Leighton Denny.  I’m not 100% sure on this and have been wavering and asking everyone who visits to weigh in with an opinion.  It’s divided everyone!

The Mont Bleu files are available in a variety of designs and can be bought online in the UK through their distributor BestCrystalNailFiles.

Priced at £10.99 for a medium size, it’s a lovely gift choice for Mothers everywhere this Mother’s Day.

With bamboo handles, 100% animal-free, antibacterial taklon bristles and priced at only £5.50 each… the new E.L.F range of mineral brushes are sure to be an interesting addition to the brand’s budget line-up in the UK.

From Left to Right: Powder Brush, Complexion Brush, Foundation Brush, Angled Blush Brush, Concealer Brush & Lip Brush.

From Left to Right: Liner and Brow Comb, Flat Eyeliner Brush, Smudge Brush, Contour Brush, All-over Eyeshadow Brush and Blending Eye Brush.

As well as individual brushes, you’re can also purchase two brush sets (£15 and £20 respectively):

The 4 piece set contains: Complexion Brush, Concealer Brush. Blending Eye Brush, Mini Kabuki Brush, Brush Bag

The 5 piece set contains: Complexion Brush, Eyeliner Brush, Concealer Brush, All-Over Eyeshadow Brush, Lash & Brow Comb, Brush Bag

It seems strange to me that they’ve doubled up the complexion and concealer brushes in both sets… it makes it far less appealing to purchase both sets.  Infact, you just wouldn’t would you?

I’ll be receiving a few samples from the new range shortly and will be keen to discover if these brushes are worth a punt.  I’ve learnt since first falling in love with makeup, that the one thing often worth spending a bit more on to get great quality… are brushes.

Will the new E.L.F bamboo range hold their own in terms of quality and usability?

Have you tried the new range yet?

I was given this by PR a few months ago and from first use, I wanted to jump on here and exclaim my love for it… but I didn’t.  I’ve spent good money on glass nail files before, fallen in love with them and then watched them become ineffective after a month or so.

Leighton Denny’s Crystal Nail File is different.  It’s made from lead crystal that’s been treated to create a filing surface that is literally guaranteed to last a lifetime (the guarantee is in the box!).

This is the 135mm ‘model’ that comes in an aluminium case and I really recommend getting one that comes protected like this.  Whilst the filing surface should last indefinitely, they’re still delicate tools and prone to breakage if dropped or carried around in handbags.

I finally felt the push to bite the bullet and upload this review for one particular reason…

I developed a horizontal split in my thumbnail after dropping something very heavy on it a month ago… it reaches very nearly halfway across the nail bed and I’ve been nursing it in the hope that I can keep the nail intact until it grows out.  With a fragile nail like this, I didn’t think I would be able to go near it with a nail file… but I was wrong.  The Leighton Denny Crystal Nail File is so gentle that I can carry on like nothing has happened.

The file glides, it never catches… it turns the nail to dust right before my eyes and I’d liken it to a hot knife slicing through butter.  It’s like kryptonite to the ragged edges of my nails.

At £12, it’s one of those purchases that you wouldn’t appreciate until you started using it.  I wouldn’t be without mine and when Leila got hold of it a couple of days ago, I panicked… turning into a jump negotiator as she waved the crystal wand around in her chubby little hands (perilously close to the table edge).

“Come to Mama lovely… want a chocolate?  No… don’t swing your arms baby… one more step… *grab*”

I’m completely in love with this Crystal Nail File and would happily rate it as a beauty must-have.

Leighton Denny’s Small Crystal Nail File is available online and instore at Boots (priced at an even more bargainous £11!)

What do you use to file your nails?

I won’t be parted from my brushes.  It doesn’t matter if I’m only leaving home for a single night, I can’t make do with powder puffs and spongey applicators now that I’m used to brushes.

Which can be a bit of a problem when I’m travelling to far flung exotic lands (Bournemouth, London, Darlo).

I took one of my MAC 217s away with me the last time I travelled to London and damn near killed the poor thing.  Flapping about in my makeup bag, it returned home looking like Leila had painted the walls with it and it’s so far resisting my best efforts to coax it back into shape.

With this in mind, Bare Escentuals have released a set of brushes that I was sent to try…

A magnetic brush collection with carry case!  Great!  Another cosmetic ‘innovation’… can you see my eyes rolling?

Except… this is actually useful.  But does it work in practice?

I’ll shut up for a minute and let you see the brush collection properly…

Read the rest of this entry »

Bedcrumb is a wonderfully flirty, young brand from designer/illustrator Heidi Cannon.  Spending more than five minutes browsing her site leaves my fingers twitching at my debit card.

Check out this pretty little pocket mirror…

The mirror comes wrapped in a presentation pouch complete with a keyring tag and priced at £6.50.  Even better, all fashion accessories are posted for free within the UK (and most international orders are only charged £2).

A lovely stocking filler for lipstick lovers everywhere!

You can check out Heidi’s other beautiful designs and illustrations at Bedcrumb.co.uk

As beauty addicts, how many times have we done that huh?  I’ll tell you how many… too bloody many.

Not only that, but let’s not forget that when in the UK, you’ve got more chance of finding genuine MAC on eBay than you have being able to return your purchases… these mistakes can really add up.

So, you can imagine my utter deflation when my NARS #12 Small Domed Eye brush turned up and wasn’t quite what I was hoping for.  I mean, I know that it’s called ‘small’… but I didn’t expect the head to be quite SO small.  My fault entirely.

But then I used it and I fell in love.

The NARS blurb on the website reads… Squirrel hair for definition and for creating depth in the crease of the eye.

I say… If you have hooded eyelids, get this brush.

(excuse the eyeshadow dust – it needs cleaning!)

The NARS #12 Small Domed Eye Brush is incredibly soft.  I find some NARS brushes a little scratchy for their price… but this one is a winner.  It’s densely packed and firm enough to do more than just place the colour.  This little beauty is a master blender to apply defined but soft crease colours.

Hai!  My name’s dopey.

Ignoring my moronic eye-expression (and need for a one-on-one with my tweezers) for a moment… can you see how perfectly the brush fits under that hood?  I don’t have the most hooded eyelids in the world, but they are a pain for muddying colour when the upper part droops onto the lid itself.  If I’m wearing a v. dark crease colour, I need to be precise and I need to focus it in the outer corner and just in the actual crease itself because of that reason.  With this brush I can do this.

Why not just use a pencil brush or a small eye contour brush then?  Because I’m crap at makeup in general and those kinda brushes always encourage me to be too heavy handed.  With the NARS #12 brush, I can do gentle windshield wiper movements along the crease contour (whilst keeping my eyes half open) and achieve a soft, smoky but perfectly defined dark crease.

At £22.00 (for such a teeny little brush) my initial disappointment almost resulted in a mild strop but now?  I’m considering a backup.

Which NARS brushes do you rate most highly?

Pro Makeup Brushes are one of the UK’s leading suppliers of makeup brushes.  They offer wholesale, customisation and supply to brands such as Elizabeth Arden and The Green People.

and they kindly sent me a few from their range to trial and report back on.

I would call their selection of 16 tools fairly exhaustive for your average makeup user.  The price is low/mid range.  Brushes start from £5 and work their way up to £15.

The white goat hair brushes feel fairly soft, pliable and densely packed.  There’s a faint whiff of wet dog about them which is common with the more budget friendly natural hair brushes.  This is accentuated when I give them a wash but as they dry, the smell fades once again.  Similarly, the other sable brushes are soft and densely packed.

The brushes arrived with this rather fabulous booklet which describes itself as an ‘educational booklet for makeup application’ and it’s really rather fab!  It manages to cover all the basics in plain and simple English.  Definitely a worthwhile inclusion and great for novices.

Onto the brushes…

#14 Blush Brush – £13

Though described as a blusher brush, the hair is cut with a slight angle so it’s perfect to use for contouring those cheekbones aswell.  It’s a lovely brush, densely packed, soft enough not to scratch and well cut.  Unfortunately, that’s where my praise ends.  This sheds like a mofo.

Amount collected from running my fingers through the brush after 2 washes… this amount of shedding is kinda unacceptable from a £13 brush.  I pick white hairs off my face every time I use it.

#1 Round Ended Concealer Brush – £6.50

I’ve never used a long haired concealer brush like this before… but it works fantastically well at applying concealer under the eyes and around the nose…. all those little crevices are covered quickly and smoothly with this brush.  I didn’t expect much from this unassuming little tool, but it’s made it’s way into daily use for me.

#2 Fine Angled Brush – £6.00

A nicely made brush that picks up brow powder well.  I wouldn’t use this for gel liners as the hairs are a little too bushy for precision lining.  This has replaced my usual GOSH brow brush simply because it seems to work the powder through my brows more evenly.

#12 Large Eyeshadow Brush – £10

Another disappointment.  I was hoping for a reasonable MAC #239 dupe, but the quality falls way short.  Most noticeably, the ferrule on this particular brush is loose.  I can hold the brush at the end of the handle… give it a gentle shake and watch the whole thing rattle.  Perhaps connected to the loose ferrule… but despite gentle washing, I can’t get the brush to hold it’s original shape… it’s now a splayed mess.  I’ve obviously received a faulty brush, but have to review on what I find.  The goat hairs however are pretty soft and non-scratchy.

#11 Mascara Brush – £5.00

Again, I’m going to have to raise an eyebrow at the quality of a brush that arrives like this.  You can see in the photo how some of the fibres are straggly.  I’ve since cut them with a pair of nail scissors to avoid poking myself in the eyeball.

Aside from this… it’s a useful tool and is designed well.  It does a good job at separating the lashes once mascara has been applied.  It’s an extra step to the routine and one I wouldn’t normally take… but I can’t deny that it’s worth the effort for special occasions.

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Overall, Pro Makeup Brushes offer a good range of products at a reasonable price but I’m disappointed with the overall quality of the samples I received.  The sable brushes were mostly of good quality, but I’m afraid that I can’t recommend the goat hair brushes based on my experiences with them.

Tiny picture… sorry… it’s a makeup bag.

But not just any makeup bag…. oh no…

The Refresh Make-up Chiller is an ingeneous way to keep your cosmetics cool when the temperature rises.

This handy little pouch with a pocket for a mini-ice pack is the ideal way to protect your cosmetic essentials when you’re hot in the city or relaxing by the pool.

Large enough to hold your daily essentials, but small enough for your handbag, the Refresh Make-up Chiller takes the heat out of looking your best in the sun!

Um. Ok then.

This is SO overdue and I completed it aaaages ago, but just haven’t gotten around to writing up my experiences of my week long Beauty Blender trial.

Beauty Blender trial? I hear you ask…

Well, I set myself the silly little task of using nothing but a Beauty Blender to apply my foundation.  I wasn’t allowed to touch my foundation brushes for a full week.  I wanted to see if the Beauty Blender was anything more than just a passing novelty.

I’ll show you a ‘step by step’ from my first day and how I use the Beauty Blender and I’ll leave you with some observations I made from this daft little exercise.

The cast of characters…. The Beauty Blender and Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation

Dispense the usual amount of product onto the back of your hand and wet your Beauty Blender until it swells in size.  Once thoroughly soaked, gently squeeze excess liquid from the sponge until it feels damp, but not wet.

Taking the round end of the blender, “bounce” the sponge into your foundation… coating it in product.

It doesn’t matter if it’s not *that* evenly coated…

Taking the blender, “bounce” the sponge on your face… a constant patting/bouncing type action all over… don’t swipe or circle… just bounce!  To get the foundation into nooks and crannys like the inner corner of your eye socket, use the pointed end of the sponge.

I found the whole process quite slow-going at first…. it took me about 4 days to get my speed up.  The first couple of goes I was a bit “what’s the point… this is taking me double the time a #187 would take”.  But as I persevered, I really started to hone my technique.

The obligatory before/after foundation shot!  (Bourjois Healthy Mix is a great looking foundation btw – although the lightest shade is a touch too dark for me).

Here’s a horrible close up… but it always helps to be able to see the finish properly right?  Click the image to SUPERSIZE MAH FACE!

Please note, this was before powder… shine city!

So there we go, that’s how I use my Beauty Blender… it still takes me a bit longer than a stippling brush so I don’t reach for it if I’m in a hurry.

I do love the finish it gives me… but I think I use a bit more product in the application thanks to the sponge (despite being damp) soaking up a fair amount of foundation.

I need to tell you something though…

I bought Makeup Forever HD foundation at IMATS… and I haven’t liked it at all.  I simply could not see what the fuss was about.  Overrated.

Until I used it in conjunction with the Beauty Blender.  Oh Em Gee.  It’s turned blog sale fodder into a wonderful foundation for me.  I’ve also done a complete 360 on my Clinique Superfit since applying it with the Beauty Blender.

Don’t ask me what the Beauty Blender does that my normal application methods obviously don’t.  I couldn’t tell you.

I also prefer the Beauty Blender over a standard cosmetic sponge, the Beauty Blender is softer, bouncier and just feels far more luxe on my skin.  Don’t bother with those expensive special Beauty Blender cleansers though… I use a bit of Leila’s shampoo and it works great!  Oh and be careful of putting nicks in the sponge when squeezing… it’s delicate!

Back to my original question… could I really throw away all my brushes in favour of the BB?

No… I like having the choice, I like the speed a stippling brush gives me.  But I’ll be forever grateful to the Beauty Blender for making me fall in love with some foundations that I thought I’d wasted nearly £50 on.  It’s already paid for itself twice over.

In the UK, you can purchase the Beauty Blender from Just Beauty Direct, priced at £14.50 each.  I was lucky enough to nab mine from a blog sale woo!

If you wanted an introduction to some of Shu Uemura’s most iconic products… look no further than the limited edition Iconic Discovery Set which comprises 3 of Shu’s most well-known offerings.

The neat little box contains:

~ Shu Uemura Eye Lash Curler (multi-award winning.. yano the ones)
~ Shu Uemura UV Under Base Mousse SPF30 (full size, new formula)
~ Shu Uemura High Performance Balancing Cleansing Oil (50ml complimentary/travel size)

After being sent the set for review consideration, I was extremely keen to find out if the infamous cleansing oil would live up to the hype that surrounds it.  Infact, so keen was I… I went and took all my makeup off with it in the middle of the day.  In the same way a 4yr old with no patience might.

It’s a light-feeling oil that spreads easily over skin with no dragging as you massage it into the delicate eye area.  The scent is extremely mild and totally pleasant… not at all oily-smelling like the DHC oil.

It emulsifies nicely with warm water and rinses away leaving my skin completely free from makeup.  Mascara melts happily between my fingers as I gently work the oil across my lashline.  If you are going to use a cleansing oil to melt away mascara, then you need to GENTLY encourage the oil onto those lashes.  I have used cleansing oils in the past that have left my eyes stinging or at the very least – cloudy.  This is a total “no no” for me and thankfully the Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil left my eyes fully unaffected.

I was hoping that the Shu Uemura High Performance Balancing Cleansing Oil would be the one that put an end to the ‘after cleansing tightness’ that is a significant cleansing oil annoyance for me.  It didn’t.  My skin was left a little tight as with most oils I’ve used… nothing that wasn’t remedied by a slick of moisturiser, but it means that (for me) Shu Uemura Cleansing Oils have been lifted down from their pedestal status.

A great cleansing oil, but I’ve used ones that are just as good for 2/3 of the price.

Ahhh, those “eyeconic” lash curlers!

I’m blessed with naturally curly lashes, so curlers aren’t something I generally incorporate into my daily routine.

At least, they weren’t until I tried these.

I’d previously owned one pair of curlers, a set of ELF ones that I bought last year and struggled to make fit my eye socket… contorting my face and gurning as I angled my head this way and that trying to get all my lashes to squish into the business end.

I gave up.

When I pulled these out, I was surprised by how light they felt.  There’s a real delicate ‘springiness’ to them.  I have to say, they fit my lashline perfectly… from those little lashes right in the inner corner around to the longer outer ones.  I can also get right down into the base of my lashes with these Shu Uemura curlers.  I can completely see why they’ve achieved the cult status that they enjoy.

My lashes get enough natural lift at the base, but a little squeeze towards the tips with these curlers makes quite a difference to achieving a more doe-eyed flutter!  I’m impressed.

Shu Uemura UV Under Base Mousse SPF30 PA+++

Beige it says on the can…. Beige.

Beige is never good for me.  As a pale chick, you get to know these words… “honey, beige, sand, caramel, fawn…” and seeing them written on the back of any kind of base product is enough to set the corners of your mouth into a downward direction.

“Beige” (in this case) is actually more “Vanilla” to be frank.  You can see in my swatches that it’s really quite pale.

You give the can a shake (it has a noisy little metal ball bearing inside which makes this far more enjoyable than it sounds!) and squirt a walnut-sized amount onto your fingers.  Spread between your digits and then straight over your face before the mousse evaporates.

Love. It.

There’s a definite ashiness visible at first thanks to the SPF which is a touch off-putting to say the least…  but after about 40 seconds the base turns completely invisible on my skin.  I would insert a caveat here that if you’re darker-skinned it may not be quite so invisible… because lets face it, if it looks ashy on ME… anyone darker will really notice that greyness and it may not fade so well.

Once the base has had about a minute to “fit” to my skin, I’m SO loving the effect.  Again, as with all primers I’ve used… I’m not seeing any pore filling or wrinkle reducing stuff.  But what I’m seeing on my skin-tone is a reduction in redness, a far matte-er appearance, a softer feeling complexion and thanks to the hint of colour, a more even overall tone.  Throw into that mix a decent SPF30 sun protection and I would be more than happy to pop down the shops sans foundation.

Another reason that I’m loving this product so much is… it’s easy.  You don’t need brushes… it’s fun to use.  Squirt and spread, squirt and spread.  It dries to a powder matte finish in less than a minute.  It’s a true no-fuss base.

My one reservation with this product is that I think it would be too drying for me to use in the Winter.  For the Summer, I will be squirting with reckless abandon… thrilled to have found something that leaves a long-lasting matte effect down the bridge of my nose!  However, I have a couple of dry patches at the moment above my eyebrows and I don’t think that this base is doing them any favours.  It’s something to consider if you’re a dry-skinned lady.  If you’re more oily… I think this could be a fantastic product for you.

So, 2 out of 3 ain’t bad (as they say).

You can purchase the Shu Uemura Limited Edition Iconic Discovery Set from Beauty Expert.  It’s priced at £41, which is a saving of £12.50 were you to buy the curlers and UV under base separately.

Are you a fan of the Shu?