A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

This February marks 10-years of the KISS IT BETTER appeal with Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.  The appeal is the brainchild of ex-beauty director Carmel Allen whose daughter Josephine was treated at the London hospital for Neuroblastoma, the appeal helps to raise awareness and funds for children suffering from cancer.

For this special, 10-year anniversary, the Clinique team have partnered up with retail giants House of Fraser and throughout the month of February, £2 from every Clinique lip product (lipgloss or lipstick) sold on counters in House of Fraser stores will be donated to the charity.

In addition to this, you can also purchase the Limited Edition A Different Nail Enamel For Sensitive Skins in the shade ‘Kiss it Better’.  A purchase of this vibrant, hot pink with its skin-friendly formula will guarantee that 50% of the £12.00 RRP goes directly to the appeal.  This polish is stocked exclusively on House of Fraser counters for the month of February.

For further information on the KISS IT BETTER appeal and ways to donate, visit www.gosh.org/kissitbetter

Back when Justin Bieber was nothing but a twinkle in his Grandfather’s eye, Biba was turning heads as an iconic 70s London store bringing fashion to the high street as the Top Shop of its day. The label is currently enjoying its 2nd relaunch and doing rather well, so much so, that the House of Fraser owned brand is on the cusp of relaunching Biba’s iconic makeup line with a beautiful capsule collection.

Biba Face Palette (34.00)

Six luxurious eyeshadows, a rich oyster pearl highlighter and dewy pink blusher to create alluring and sensuous looks-perfect from dawn unto dusk.

Biba Lipgloss Ring (£15.00)

This chunky cocktail ring will draw admiring glances with its nod to the iconic Biba logo. The lid slides to one side to reveal a shimmery pink gloss for the perfect pout! It can also be used to adorn your bag as a charm.

Biba Baked Eyeshadow Palette (£26.00)

Velvety soft mineral eyeshadows in opulent shades of molten metal and precious jewels. Use a dampened brush for intense long wearing colour.

Biba Luscious Lashes Duo (£18.00)

Biba lashes are sure to make a statement. Two pairs – one show stopping evening pair and one for a more natural day look will ensure that you are never overlooked.

Biba Lip Palette (£24.00)

Luscious and indulgent lip colours in five luxurious shades. Custom blend the lip colour for a unique style all of your own.

Biba Nail Polish Trio (£21.00)

Nail polish is the ultimate finishing touch to any look and these three stand-out shades will add a little something to every outfit.

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So there we have it, the re-launch of Biba Makeup. Not, as Barbara Hulanicki would have it, I’m almost positive of that. The collection most obviously strays from the affordable ethos that the original Biba held so close to its heart but I can’t deny that I’m loving the look of that nail polish trio and the baked eye palette for its Biba aesthetics and shade choices.

I was lucky enough to have been sent the lashes from the capsule collection and have passed them on to madame Lash Queen (Liloo) who has promised to give them an outing for us in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

Biba Beauty launches exclusively in House of Fraser from the 1st October 2011.

Will you be checking out the return of Biba Beauty?

Deborah Lippmann’s Autumn / Fall shades have been slated for a September UK launch with sadly no word yet on whether we’ll be seeing the glorious glitters that make up the Nordstrom Anniversary set (unless, they’re re-released in a different format, I very much doubt it).

But anyway, wipe away the tears and check out these infinitely more sensible shades instead.

Stormy Weather: an edgy granite shade created in collaboration with Narciso Rodriguez
Brick House: a shimmering rust
Billionaire: a moody, dark olive green

I can’t say that any of them are really shouting my name… Billionaire looks interesting but I just wanna chuck some sparkle in there.  Brick House has the potential to be better on the nail than in the promo and Stormy Weather just does nothing for me I’m afraid.

The Deborah Lippmann Autumn shades are set to launch in the UK exclusively at House of Fraser on the 19th September priced at £14 each.

There are some rather blissful (that’s not even worth a groan of disgust, don’t bother) savings to be made on Bliss products over at the House of Fraser website at the moment.

Savings include…

1. Bliss Blood Orange + White Pepper Soapy Suds – WAS £15.50/NOW £7.50

2. Bliss Mammoth Minty Scrub Soap – WAS £13.50/NOW £6.50

3. Bliss The Love Handler – WAS £31.00/NOW £15.50

With the majority of the savings set at around 50%, they’re not to be sniffed at!

Do you have any Bliss favourites or recommendations?

New York Cheesecake with an Edge, Vermont Va Va Voom, Toast to the Coast and Southern Belle promise scintilating flavours that leave me unsure whether I should be slathering them on my body or on my crumpets in the morning!

I’m gonna go with ‘body’… but only ‘cos I’m on a diet.

The Body America range of products has been notoriously hard to track down until House of Fraser scooped them up as part of their new Apothecary setup.  The range claims 72% organics which are enriched with Aloe Vera juice to soothe and soften the skin.

That’s all great in theory… but how does the range really perform?

Vermont Va Va Voom Foaming Bath & Shower Wash (£7.00)

Green Apple, Maple and Blueberry… but particularly heavy on the apple.  Thankfully, although heady in combination, the scent that’s left behind on the skin is quite light and pleasantly fresh.

I’m not usually a fan of products that foam before I get them close to my body as I find I have to use a ton to get the same kind of luxurious lather as with normal soapy formulas.  This one gets a thumbs up for managing to go the distance before losing it’s fluff!

I should also note that I didn’t find this drying on my skin.

Toast to the Coast Lip Butter 8.5gms (£4.00)

All style and no substance.  It smells delicious (Ocean and Grapeseed), tastes incredible but does nothing to moisturise my lips.  It’s thin and spreads lightly which makes it a nice butter to apply under a drying lipstick but that’s about as far as my praise for this one can stretch.

New York Cheesecake Body & Face Scrub 100gms (£7.00)

My pick of the bunch and I will definitely be picking this up in the Toast to the Coast flavour.  It’s a milky thin fluid that spreads for miles and contains minute particles of ‘scrub’.  Touted as a light exfoliation, I’d say that on my skin it felt pretty full on and in my opinion, too harsh for the face.  But it’s perfect for bodycare and leaves a positively edible scent behind!

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I haven’t tried any of the body butters but they’re reportedly made by the people behind The Body Shop body butters and only £7/£8 each.  All products are available instore and online.

Have you tried the Body America range yet?

Finally!  The House of Fraser Apothecary has launched online which means that poor souls like myself (who’s nearest HoF is an hours drive away) can finally take advantage of some of the new and exclusive brands available to the department store.

I previously wrote about the Lippmann Collection of nail polishes that I’m still salivating over.  I’m finding it damn near impossible to pick a preferred choice though!

I’m also curious about the Body America range of skincare… potentially good, affordable products that have enough about them (New York Cheesecake Body Butter anyone?) to raise real interest in how they feel, work and smell.

Other highlights include colostrum-based skincare brand Electric Body who hail from New Zealand and promise anti-aging delights (albeit at a price!), Aussie brand MOR – yes, they of the exquisite packaging and French pharmacie skincare brand Filorga who’s origins (in mesotherapy and injectible forms of anti-aging) promise the same results but without the needles.

I spent an indecent amount of time in the Guildford store just after Christmas… there *may* have been Guerlain purchases, I will neither confirm nor deny those rumours.

Have you stopped by the new House of Fraser Apothecary yet?

From Lip Butters to Body Butters, Body Scrubs to Shower Foams… Body America’s range of bathroom goodies will be hitting the mainstream when they land in the new House of Fraser Apothecary from the middle of this month onwards.

A little birdy also told me that the Body America Body Butters come from the same creator as the much-loved Body Shop Body Butters… interesting…

But this becomes even more interesting when I tell you that a 200ml jar of Body America Body Butter will set you back a trifling £8 compared to £12.50 for The Body Shop equivalent.  Now you’re talking!

The entire range is described as 72% organic and comes enriched with certified organic Aloe Vera juice to naurally soothe and protect the skin.  The lineup is available in four flavours:

~ Vermont Va Va Voom: Green Apple, Maple and Blueberry
~ New York Cheesecake with an Edge: Vanilla and Strawberry
~ Toast to the Coast: Ocean and Grapeseed
~ Southern Belle: Peach and Mango

I fully intend to make a beeline for the Vermont Va Va Voom range…. Maple?  Oh god yes.  Now if only it came with pancakes too…