A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

I don’t get excited about hair products.  They’re not my forte, my cup of tea… they‘re just not my bag (baby).  I view them in the same way that I do many bathroomy-type toiletries, something to be chucked in the trolley while doing my weekly shop.  The truth is, you’ll rarely find me scouring online beauty emporiums for styling products and high-end shampoos.  I’d rather spend my money on lipstick.

Which is why LUSH have surprised me with this bottle of shampoo.

LUSH Rehab shampoo describes itself as a “restorative and repairing” shampoo with extracts of pineapple, papaya, and olive oil to moisturise and “take your hair back to its healthiest, glossiest state”.  You wouldn’t know any of this without reading up on it because frankly, it doesn’t feel or smell like a traditional “SOS-type” shampoo.

My hair is dry but not brittle and to be fair, is in better condition since swapping my permanent hair colours for semi-permanent almost a year ago… but still, it could never be described as soft or silky.  Introduce my hair to a hairdryer and I’m finished within three-minutes, whereas on the rare occasion that I style Leila’s… I get killer arm ache long before her hair shows any signs of drying.

I also suffer from an itchy scalp.  It comes and it goes, focusing upon the change of seasons but it lurks nonetheless, waiting to flare up in great crusts of scalp-soreness.

I’ve been using the LUSH Rehab Shampoo for around two months now, washing my hair every other day and I’ve been impressed with the noticeable improvement in both scalp-sensitivity and the general condition of my hair which feels more balanced: less oily at the roots and more nourished at the ends.  The improvement has creeped up on me, I wouldn’t say that it was an overnight miracle but more a realisation that my hair and scalp simply hasn’t been this good for a long time.

My only caveat against this glowing review are those pesky pregnancy hormones that may well be skewing the results, but in all honesty, my skin is a hot mess at the moment, so I’d imagine my scalp to react in the same way.

The strong lavender-scent may be off-putting to some… it’s certainly not my favourite and wasn’t what I was expecting.  It can be a little too bracing in the mornings but I’ll happily take the aroma hit while it’s still working its magic on my locks.  The shampoo lathers really well with only a very small amount (the texture is thin and runny) so although it’s marked up at a price-point I can only just about stomach, I appreciate that a 250g bottle will actually last me a minimum of three-months before it needs replacing (I’ve got at least 1/3 left in the above bottle after two-months use).

LUSH Rehab Shampoo is priced from £5.25 for 100g and is available to buy in store and online at lush.co.uk

Orange juice and toothpaste, a vegan at a BBQ, Miley Cyrus and a touch of class. Some things just don’t seem to want to go together do they?

Crabtree & Evelyn and nail polish?

Hmmm…

To be honest, I always think of Crabtree & Evelyn as a bit of a nanna-brand, aimed at garden potterers and people who use talc.  What are they doing with a new line of fashion-forward nail lacquers anyway?  Does it fit their target demographic?

Well, whatever they’re doing with it… it’s here. Launched this week into stores nationwide. Let’s have a look at them…

Not too shabby, I think you’ll agree.  Don’t underestimate those Crabtree & Evelyn shoppers, Nanna’s everywhere have their fingers firmly on the pulse it seems.

The range includes a total of 19 polishes, I’m missing a few from the pictures above… including a rather fabulous-looking olive green that I’d really like to check out sooner rather than later.  Also, in the lineup (but omitted from my picture) is a clear top/base coat, and a box of nail polish remover wipes that have been formulated with an environmentally friendly soy-based formula instead of your usual hydrocarbon solvents!  All rather innovative stuff from a brand that, to be honest, I didn’t think had it in them.

By now, you will be whooping with delight when I tell you that all of these lacquers are formulated without camphor, dibutyl phthalates, formaldehyde or toluene, and get this…

…each 15ml bottle is priced at only £6.00 each.

Available instore and online at crabtree-evelyn.co.uk now, made my weekend this has!

Radox. What are you playing at?

When I think of you, I think of relaxing in a blue-hued bath of wonder.  Sinking into realms of relaxation that I thought only existed in my pre-child lifetime. You don’t give me spendy guilts when I pop into Boots for a top-up and you don’t make me weep with sorrow when I discover that Mr. L has raided my bathroom cabinet.

So, what’s all this new nonsense about?

Don’t you dare try to revive, energise or uplift me! That’s not what I come to you for.

You might think that you need to compete with all those shower and bath products that set your sensitive bits alight and leave you feeling like you’ve been dragged through a polo mint backwards, but you don’t.

You’re perfect just the way you are.

However, if you do get a moment… how about more bath salts in some new and ever more relaxing scents and shades. Bath salts are set for a BIG come back don’tchano?

Radox. They’ve gone all modern n’ stuff with this new Citrus range.  £2.15 ish a bottle… but if I see you buying one, I’ll disown you.

I promised a proper review of the Boots No7 Stay Perfect Foundation* that I’ve been practically living in all Summer. I also mentioned about how I’d never in my wildest dreams actually imagined that it would work well on my skintype.

I don’t know about you but there are certain preconceptions I have when I hear the marketing blurb about products. To me, something that is touted as “stay perfect” or “long-lasting” inevitably puts me in mind of a foundation designed for oilier skintypes. At the very least, something that my dry/combination skin would fail to tolerate.

In this instance, I was wrong.

No7 Stay Perfect foundation comes in an impressive range of 17 shades and I, somewhat predictably, was matched to the lightest of these: Calico.  I find Calico to be quite neutral in terms of hue, leaning neither too pink nor too yellow.

The finish is semi-matte and I’m unsure at this moment in time how my skin will tolerate this foundation when Winter comes around.  I’d hypothesise that we may not be quite such good buddies once the dry-flakes settle in for the season but at the moment, whilst my skin is very much “combination”, the No7 Stay Perfect is ticking all the right boxes.

One of the reasons I’m getting on so well with this foundation is down to a slightly unusual reason, the packaging.  In terms of how much product the pump dispenses, for me… it’s perfect.  Now, I don’t know about you… but unless a pump dispenses a ridiculous amount of product, I generally just apply the lot without really thinking about it.  This one dispenses slightly less than the average pump’s worth, but isn’t so meagre that it makes you want to dispense another pump.  For some reason, this makes me really work the product into the skin… stroking and buffing the liquid formula until I achieve what is, quite literally, the perfect amount of coverage for me.

I know that it seems such a strange reason to love a foundation but it wasn’t until I used this that I realised just how much I tend to simply (over)apply whatever is dispensed onto the back of my hand without thinking.

The Boots No7 Stay Perfect foundation gives me enough coverage (I’d class it as sheer/medium) to tone down the redness around my nose without obliterating my natural skin-texture, it evens out most areas without masking natural radiance and most of all, it lasts almost all day without slipping from my nose or chin.  My only caveat with this product is I feel that it has a problem with oxidisation, something I can just about get away with because I’m not particularly heavy-handed during application.

The formula feels lightweight on the skin and pairs beautifully with a silicone-based primer, despite the included SPF.  Infact, this is the first foundation I’ve used that actually makes me want to reach for a primer.  I’ve worn it both with and without but for literally, the first time, I can see a difference in my skin texture when using a primer.  It glides over the top and gives a great impression of minimising some of the pores on my cheeks.  I’m all about cutting out the extra steps during makeup application but I genuinely get a little bit excited when I apply this foundation/primer combo (for the record, I’m using my DHC Velvet Skin Coat primer).

Anyway, enough gushing… I’ve taken my time with this review because I feel strongly about its value as a bloody great foundation.  For me, it’s a bloody great foundation.  It also helps that it doesn’t cost ££££, no?  Slightly bizarrely, I really seem to get on better with high-street foundations than expensive ones.  Good for me, I suppose!

The picture below shows the foundation with a full-face of makeup on top.  No highlighter or light-reflective blush, I’m loving the natural luminosity!  I just hope and pray I’ll still be able to wear this once the weather turns cooler.

Boots No7 Stay Perfect Foundation is available to buy online and instore at Boots, priced at £14.  Have you tried it?

* press sample

Loves me a good duochrome I do!

The problem with some duochromes is that no matter how delightfully galactic they look in the bottle, once on the nail… they require about a billion coats before reaching full opacity.  I mean, I know that I’ll have some extra time on my hands once Leila starts school in September (oh God, I’m not ready) but, five fucking coats is pushing it somewhat, no?

And that my friends, is why you need this H&M cheapie in your lives…

H&M Wintersky is a swoon-worthy polish.  It looks like it’s majorly accentuating my nail ridges in the second photo… but it’s quite an unkind photo to this poor polish which applies beautifully in just. two. coats.  The brush has a tendency to overload so you do have to be careful to scrape the excess back into the bottle but the formula is one of the fastest-drying (without making any application sacrifices) that I’ve yet to encounter.  Fastest-drying yet.  It’s like pixie-pee or something.

You should be able to tell from the photos that the duochrome shifts from a silvery green/blue to pink/lilac gorgeousness.  I’m also not wearing a top-coat in these shots because I was having a major swatch-session.

H&M Wintersky is currently available in H&M stores… it’s also online (if you can navigate their abomination of a website).  Priced at £2.99, it’s worth picking up next time you’re instore.

Bury me in it.  For long after the blood has ceased to reach my vital organs, Pink Power surely has the might to defibrillate my weary heart back into action and bring me to life again.  Probably.

Ok, so maybe it’s more of a heart-stopping pink than a heart-starting one but either way, you see where I’m coming from with the over-dramatisation of a lipstick.  Basically, it’s a luverly pink with all the rage and sultriness that our Summer has yet to deliver.

It’s not too drying, lasts pretty well through anything except a monsoon (watch out August) or a doughnut (watch out fatty), and has a fairly light texture that belies its price tag.

As for that price tag?  Seventeen Pink Power is a mere snip at only £4.29 from boots.com

What’s your brightest pink and do you fancy owning this one?

Whenever I get given one of those nifty till spits treating me to X amount off Boots No7, I make a beeline.  Well, two actually… my first port of call are the brushes, I must have a million No7 brushes that I always take with me on holidays.  You know the sort of thing… not so rubbish that they’re unusable, not so amazing/expensive that you’d cry if they got bent out of shape! Makeup bag staples.

My second stop-off is in front of the Boots No7 Stay Perfect nail polishes.  I’m a little bit reluctant to hand over full-price for the range but when you’ve got £3 off… well, things don’t seem quite so expensive after-all!

Especially when they look as pretty as this…

How lovely is that teal?  Next stop, it’s going on my toes!

I generally find the No7 formula to be a two-coater, the brushes have improved recently and now I can generally cover the nail in 3 strokes with an extra one thrown in to tidy up.  Drying time is average but the gloss is usually out of this world.  My biggest bug bear with the formula is that so many of the strong shades stain my skin and require more acetone in removal than I’d usually like to use.

Despite the moniker, Stay Perfect doesn’t actually stay all that perfect.  I usually get significant tip wear within a few days and the odd chip here and there, noteworthy for someone whose nails rarely suffer from chips!

That being said, I’m almost tempted to forgive it for being such a rich, glossy shade that looks as though it’s been poured on rather than painted.  Lush.

Boots No7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour in Cruising is priced at £6 (without a voucher) and available to buy instore and online at boots.com

Are you a fan of the No7 Stay Perfect nail range?

* press sample

News of The Body Shop’s latest launch is like well-tuned music to my ears.  I’m a sucker for anything that promises an instant fix in less time than it takes to watch a movie and their NEW single-shot face mask sachets will turn you into a movie-watching, zit-busting multitasker of EPIC proportions!

There are four different varieties of mask available in the range, here’s a quick guide to give you an idea of which might be the best choice for your current skin needs:

Vitamin E Sink-In Moisture Mask

“Bring skin back to its optimum moisture levels with intensely hydrating Vitamin E.  Bursting with antioxidants this cushioning moisture cream protects and rejuvenates, leaving skin feeling soft and smooth. “

This is an overnight leave-on mask, great for when your skin is feeling dehydrated or in need of some extra TLC, personally… I’d use this in conjunction with any one of the cleansing masks.

Vitamin C Microdermabrasion Mask

“Filled with fine micro particles and crushed garnet stones, this zesty Vitamin C mask gently and effectively removes impurities and dead skin cells, providing deep exfoliation. It improves skin texture and tone, revealing a brighter, balanced, more radiant complexion.”

Great for combination and congested skin-types, perfect to use a couple of days before an event or big night out.  As it’s an exfoliator, I wouldn’t use this one more than once a week at most.

Tea Tree Face Mask

“This antibacterial, deep cleansing clay mask smoothes and refreshes the skin by absorbing excess oil.  It gives an instantly cooling, soothing sensation whilst leaving skin clear and squeaky clean.”

A good choice for oily skin types.  If you’re wary that it might be too much for your skin, limit its use to a dab on any blemishes you have and save the rest to give your back/shoulders a deep cleanse!

Seaweed Ionic Clay Mask

“Draw out impurities and rebalance the skin’s natural ph levels with this mattifying clay mould mask. Packed with the purifying properties of naturally sourced seaweed, it cleanses deeply, controlling excess oil, leaving skin oil and shine free.”

Who doesn’t love a good sea monster-esque clay mask?  These are my favourite to tackle congestion and blackheads across my t-zone.  Again, I’d use an overnight moisturising mask after treatment to restore hydration on my dry skin and limit its use to once a week.

All masks are single-use sachets containing a 6ml volume, making it a great and inexpensive way to mix-and-match treatments for an at-home pampering session.

Priced at £1.50 each and available in store and online at bodyshop.co.uk

* the seaweed ionic clay mask appears to be temporarily unavailable online

** The Body Shop are currently offering 40% off and free delivery when you spend £5 online with code EXTRATREAT

*** In other news, TBS are discontinuing the Sweet Lemon range, I’m so sad!

Building upon her inexpensively-priced-but-well-crafted brush empire, Samantha Chapman of Pixiwoo fame has released another set of brushes to sit alongside her core collections, albeit for a limited time only.  The Real Techniques Duo-Fiber Brush Collection* was launched last month and began to hit our shores a few weeks ago.

Reviews have been almost overwhelmingly positive for this trio of brushes and I was keen to cast my eye over the set to appease my own curiosity of whether they were worth the hype.

The brushes, as the name might suggest, are dual-fibred.  Both fibres used in the construction are taklon, therefore synthetic and 100% cruelty-free.  There are three brushes in the collection and each is labelled along the handle, clearly describing its purpose.

The largest of the three brushes is the Duo-Fiber Face Brush.  Of the three, this is the most flexible and feels the least densely-packed (relative to size).  The layering of fibres in such a loose manner means that this brush is ideal for a light-coating of powder to set your makeup.  You’d be hard-pushed to pack on the product with this tool in your hand and for this purpose, it’s pretty much perfect.

Although the website states that all brushes can be used with cream and liquid products… I don’t think there would be much point in using this brush for anything other than powder products.  It would be like buying a pair of nail scissors and using them to cut your fringe.  Technically, you could do it… but why would you want to waste the engineering?

The second brush in the set, the Duo-Fiber Contour Brush is slightly more rigid than the face brush.  The fibres feel a little springier, with more resistance under pressure.  This gives the brush a little more strength to direct the product being applied and additional control when it comes to blending for a seamless finish.  Ultimately, this is the brush you’ll want to be using this Summer for applying your bronzer and contour shades.  A little more precision but applied with an equally light hand.

Despite being somewhat stiffer than the face brush, I’m still not sold on using it for cream products… I just have other brushes (even from this line) that I prefer to use with liquids and creams.

The smallest brush in the set is the Duo-Fiber Eye Brush, and for me, this one is an outright disappointment.  I simply do not find the brush comfortable to use in the delicate eye-area.  The fibres are sharp, scratchy and even with the lightest of touches, too harsh for blending out colour across my eye socket.  At a push, it works ok for under-eye concealer but ultimately, I will pass over this brush daily in favour of a softer brush.

If you use a lot of powder products, I’d say that you would benefit greatly from purchasing this collection… the Face brush is unlike any other I own for creating a ultra-light finish.  I prefer to use cream products on my cheeks when it comes to blush and bronzer so I’m a little torn on the contour brush… at the bargainous price that this set retails for, I’d lean toward saying that it wouldn’t hurt to own it.

The eye brush isn’t worth the space in my brush holder (imo).  Not that there is any space.

The set hasn’t blown me away.  Not in the same way that the Core Collection did back in 2011 (I still use the Buffing Brush daily) and please don’t assume that just because they’re dual-fibre brushes, you’ll get something comparable to MAC’s legendary 187 at a cheaper price point… these aren’t a set of stippling brushes, they’re far more specific in their use helping you to create softly layered-looks and hone your application skills with a lighter-touch.

For a more multi-purpose duo-fibre brush you’d need something like the Real Techniques highly-regarded Stippling Brush instead.

As far as craftsmanship goes, other than my issue with the scratchiness of the eye brush… overall, the quality is great.  There’s no horrible chemical stink to the fibres, the ferrules are solidly formed and the taklon appears to be well-clamped into the handles.  Although the bottoms of the brushes are flat, they don’t offer the greatest stability on their ends… something to remember if you have a white carpet.

The Real Techniques Limited Edition Duo-Fiber Brush Collection is available to buy online from Cloud10Beauty.com or instore at Boots, priced at £23.99

* press sample

The world is awash with lip crayons! Perhaps we’re all reverting back to our childhoods as an alternative to a rather gloomy reality but what is it with wanting to make our cosmetics look like crayola?

Well, whatever it is, I’m loving it.

Seventeen, the brand from Boots… one of the most accessible in the UK market, have firmly jumped aboard the lip crayon bandwagon and released their own version.  I had no idea what to expect.  Would they be sheer and balmy a la the original Clinique formula?  Would they be drying like the Revlon Just Bitten Stains?  Or perhaps they’ll be uber-glossy like the new No7 Lip Crayons?

Well, they actually strike a rather good balance… but with the added bonus of some proper pigment.  Hear that?  It’s a choir of colour-loving lips singing in celebration.

The two shades that I’m swatching today are Bold (orange) and Knockout (plum pink).  The packaging is functional and practical with a winder mechanism to wind the crayon up and down.  It’s bright… chunky and you’d be hard-pushed to lose it in your handbag.

The texture of these lip crayons are both very similar, so although I’ve only tried two from the five shades available, I’m expecting a consistent formula from a brand as well-established as Seventeen are.

Talking of the texture, I found it to be quite light considering the amount of pigment it provided.  You can see in the lip swatches below that there is no thick layer of product over my lips.  The furrows and creases are still fairly well-defined and not filled in with goop!  Despite this light layer of product, it punches well above its weight when it comes to coverage.  That is some pretty strong colour from a quick slick of crayon.

bare lips

Seventeen Lip Crayon in shade: Bold

Seventeen Lip Crayon in shade: Knockout

I didn’t notice any horrible smell during application (I’m looking at you Revlon), and the colour glided on with little effort.  I’d say that these aren’t quite as moisturising as the original Clinique formula but slightly more moisturising than their newer, intense formula.  Considering that we’re looking at nearly the same level of pigmentation, render me suitable impressed.

I wouldn’t describe the finish as a high-gloss one, it’s fairly low-key (which I personally prefer) and the colour lasts nicely for about 4-5 hours (less if you’re eating/drinking).  It doesn’t leave a stain behind but it does fade pretty evenly.

All in all, at only £4.99 a-piece (also currently on buy-one-get-2nd-half-price), the new Seventeen Lip Crayons* are a bleedin’ steal.  Have you tried any of the shades yet?

* press sample

I’m all for spending a little extra time in bed, I can clearly remember my early morning pleas of “just five more minutes Dad?” each morning before school.  How heavenly it is to know that you have full permission to hit the snooze button.

Well, heads up!  Nivea have recently released an in-shower body moisturiser that should definitely go some way to granting your wish.  It’s an allover body conditioner in cream form that you apply whilst in the shower (although not whilst stood under running water, that would be stoop) and rinse off before grabbing your towel.  It’s not a novel idea, LUSH have already done the whole in-shower body moisturising thang with their Ro’s Argan Body Conditioner (one of my fav bodycare products, ever) and let’s face it… there are numerous in-shower body oils on the market already… but… and it’s a big but…

The Nivea In Shower Body Moisturiser is likely to be the most budget-friendly of any in-shower moisturising product you’ll come across this year.  They’ve taken a great idea and modified it for the masses.  And who doesn’t want a bit of that?

But the question is, is it any good?

Well… yes and no.

Yes, it’s convenient, saves a bit of time in the mornings and it smells comfortingly Nivea-ish.  At £2.56, it’s nice and cheap and comes in sensible packaging that doesn’t skimp on the quantity.  It’s a solid offering from a brand that regularly deliver good, no-nonsense bodycare products.

But, it’s just not moisturising enough on anything other than a superficial level (unlike the LUSH in-shower moisturiser).

When you apply the cream in the shower, it feels exactly like you’re rubbing in hair conditioner…. and you can feel it sitting on the surface of your skin, even after rinsing off.  I’m not saying the residue is a bad thing… it’s not.  It leaves skin feeling silky-smooth to the touch, even after drying.  You’ll likely purr to yourself as you stroke your legs.  But that’s as far as the moisturisation goes and as the day wears on, this superficial nourishment doesn’t hang around.

If you actually suffer from dry skin, in any way, shape or form… this is unlikely to be hydrating enough for your skin concerns.  In the winter, this simply wouldn’t last five-seconds on my scratchy shins.

But if you’re heading out for the evening, or simply want to feel all soft and silky for a limited time only… for the price-point, the Nivea option makes for a sound investment.

Nivea In Shower Body Moisturiser is priced at around £2.56 for 250ml and is available instore and online at Boots.com and Superdrug.com

* press sample

So, Rimmel… and their “apocaliptic” hybrid gloss/lipstick.  Available in eight shades of lip-smacking colour from vampy plum through to pale nude, has been setting the blogging world alight from day one.  Except, I can’t for the life of me work out why.

First things first, they smell bad.  I’m not the kind of blogger that harps on about scented products being the root of all evil, I couldn’t normally give a chuff about scented/flavoured products but these are so horribly synthetic, I find them almost offensive.  Smell and taste are so closely linked, that if something smells bad… it often tastes bad too and I just don’t want this genetically-modified Jolly Rancher crap on my lips with it’s faux fruit salad gooeyness mere centimeters from my nostrils.

When it comes to application, the wand – complete with product dip/well – doesn’t work properly.  There’s no real give to the sponge, the product contained within the well is staying there.  For all eternity.  It’s not coating your lips, you’re just double dipping it back into the container each time you use it.  Give it up.

When I headed down to Boots, finally giving into the hype I was reading everywhere, I umm’ed and ahh’ed over the shades… in the end, I settled for Celestial, and the colour is indeed very, very, pretty.  That neutral kind of pink that goes with everything… looking good on practically every skin-tone.  But my love for the shade just cannot overcome.  Let me tell you what else I hate about this product.

It feels heavy on the lips.  Like tar.  Like a new kind of tar that has been created from lead.  Spread over my lips and left to bake in the sun.  It’s 2013, lip products don’t feel like this anymore.  I crave lightweight textures that deliver strong pigment without making me feel like my lips have been glued together with eye bogies.  And because the product just kinda sits there… it travels.  Within the hour, I experienced the kind of feathering you’d expect from a siren-red lipstick that had been applied with a trowel.

At least you’d think with that kind of “creamy” coverage, your lips would stay well-nourished underneath?  No.  I found the formula drying and unforgiving to my “not even very dry” lips.  The product settled in the furrows and felt less and less comfortable with every passing minute.

And so, for its parting demonstration… did it stay on for long?  No… it lasted no more than a couple of hours before wearing away without leaving even a hint of a stain to see me through the afternoon.

I have basically been violated by a lipstick.  And that my friends, is a hugely disappointing sensation.

Rimmel Apocalips are priced at £4.49 each and are available to buy instore or online from boots.com, superdrug.com, and asos.com