A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

“I have found men who didn’t know how to kiss. I’ve always found time to teach them.” – Mae West

Whatever you forget to do this morning, don’t forget to brush your teeth.  Twice.

You see, today is National Kissing Day.  The one day of the year where I think it’s practically legal to demand kisses and if you don’t get enough?  Stand your ground, stamp your feet and demand some more!  Failing that, take a look at some of the lovely things below that practically guarantee to make your pout as irresistible as a sugar-coated crumb on National Doughnut Day.

There is a national doughnut day right?

01: BareMinerals Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Polish (£18, bareminerals.co.uk)

Take your pick from a total of over 20 shades of lip-boosting gloss.  From the sheerest of pinks to the sparkliest of corals, the tingling formula of BareMinerals Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Polish will ensure a knee-trembling rush of blood to the hea pout.

02: LUSH Bubblegum Lip Scrub (£5.35, lush.co.uk)

Smells and tastes so damn good you’ll be hard-pressed to divert your attention away from this little pot of lip-smoothing scrubbiness.  But divert you must!  You have 24-hours to secure a lip-smacking partner, don’t delay.

03: Carmex Strawberry Moisturising Lip Balm (£2.55, asos.com)

With Wimbledon just around the corner, how could you resist this strawberry-scented offering from Carmex?  If it’s a slightly less tremendous tingle you’re after, this cult classic balm with leave you feeling suitably nourished and prepped for a good ol’ smooching session.

04: L’Occitane Rose Aurore Radiant Lip Gloss (£8, uk.loccitane.com)

If subtlety is more your thing, L’Occitane have got your back with their Rose Aurore Radiant Lip Gloss.  Adorn your lips with a pink, delicate shimmer and let your natural radiance shine through while the moisturising formula ensures you’re well nourished enough to still be in a lips-locked position this time next year!

05: Lipstick Queen 3 Piece Lip Nouveau Collection (£30.96, qvcuk.com)

When is just one lipstick not enough?  Always!  Have your cake and eat it with this collection of colour from Lipstick Queen.  A classic high-voltage red, a shimmering pink and a sheer deep crimson, this trio will see your lips looked-after from dawn-to-dusk, prepped for every occasion with a variety of texture.

One final piece of advice from the lip queen herself, Poppy King: “Most importantly, smile!  It has been suggested that simply smiling increases endorphins which are the most flattering thing for natural glow ever.”

Have a great day lip-lovers, whoever you may be smooching!

I still feel quite new at this motherhood lark and haven’t come to terms with the fact that after all these years, I’m now included in this annual celebration.

So, when does Mother’s Day stop being about your own Mum?  Never, I’d imagine.  My Mum and I don’t have the easiest relationship, it’s not the kind I want Leila and I to enjoy in years to come, and yet we both understand our failings.  I know I love my Mum and I know that my Mum loves me… in our own ways.

That has to be enough for both of us because neither can bring any more to the table.  That sounds more regretful than it is but it’s something we’ve actually made peace with over the past 12-months, which makes this Sunday more poignant for me, maybe for both of us, than it usually is.  It’s also my first Mother’s Day away from my Mum, perhaps we just lived under the same roof for too long?!

Regardless, Mother’s Day for me, has always been the day where I attempt to repent for my sins.  All those times throughout the year where I happily let my Mum put aside her wishes/choices/motivations to please me instead must now be addressed in full.  Sure, I showed appreciation at the time, and there’s lots of you out there that feel these one-day “celebrations” are nothing more than an opportunity to line Hallmark’s pockets… but, there’s something about dedicating a whole day to say thank you for the role someone plays in your life.

I wouldn’t get rid of the celebration for the world.  Plus, my Mum gets to stock up on Walnut Whips and her favourite perfume!

01: Urban Apothecary’s Macaroon-inspired candle collection will be sure to get your Mother’s taste-buds watering with a choice of scents including: frangipan, violet cassis, mint creme, strawberries and cream, chocolate orange, and white truffle.  Each candle delivers artound 25-hours burn time with a natural soy wax blend and 100% cotton wick. £30, www.urbanapothecarylondon.com

02: Volupté Sheer Candy by Yves Saint Laurent delivers sheer lip colour with a moisturising, balmy finish thanks to a formula developed with fruit extracts.  Available now on counter in ten shades and packaged so beautifully, you wouldn’t even need to wrap it. £23.50, www.yslbeauty.co.uk *

03: Did your mother give you butterfly kisses when you were a wee one?  Give one back in the shape of this LUSH Madame Butterfly Re-Usable Bubble Bar enriched with delicious rose absolute, geranium oil and lemon.  Each bubble bar should allow for around six baths, ensuring that you remain #1 daughter for a while.  Madame Butterfly also comes with a rather special tag with wild-flower seeds embedded in the paper!  The gift that keeps on giving! £5.25, www.lush.co.uk *

04: Recently shortlisted as “gift of the year” by the Giftware Association, Miss Patisserie’s Macaroon Gift Tin promises to be a true bathing delight for any sweet-toothed Mum’s out there.  Nine fizzy melts will release a range of fragrances into your bath including: sweet pomegranate, spearmint & eucalyptus, champagne, french lavender, juicy peach, coconut & citrus, cucumber, garden flowers and rose. £15.50, www.miss-patisserie.com

05: For the Mum who has everything, there’s only one option… the works.  Give her the gift of ultimate pampering with a special Mother’s Day package from Daniel Galvin.  The treat includes: An express Dermalogica facial, manicure, cut & blow-dry, and a glass of bubbly from the top London salon. £140, www.danielgalvin.com

06: For the sweetest-smelling Mum around, gift her this fruity-floral wonder from an iconic British fragrance house.  Floris Cherry Blossom delivers a fresh blend of bergamot, orange and pink pepper over a heart of cherry blossom, osmanthus, rose and peony.  It’s a delicate, decadent, and exclusive gift that evokes the very essence of Spring. £99, www.florislondon.com *

07: If you’ve ever heard yourself say “let’s have a nice cup of tea and a sit down” the chances are, you’re turning into your Mum.  Let her lead the way in style with this Blossom & Bird Tea for One set.  Comprising a teapot, cup, and saucer in the prettiest of designs, all you need is a packet of hob knobs for a wonderful afternoon treat. £5, www.tesco.com

Do you go all-out on the Mother’s Day treats?  What have you got planned for this year?

* press sample

* p.s – sorry about that intro, I started writing and it ALL came out haha!

Kicking dirt in the face of Urban Decay’s recent announcement that the brand are now allowing their (previously certified cruelty-free) products to be tested on animals (if required by law) comes a new initiative from LUSH.  The British brand – who have recently caused controversy after unveiling a ‘shock’ stunt at their Regent Street store – are taking a particularly pro-active stance against animal-testing by fronting a £250,000 annual fund (in partnership with Ethical Consumer) towards finding and implementing viable alternatives to the traditional methods of safety testing cosmetics.

A panel of ten independent judges will deliver the verdicts on the movers and shakers in the industry in a high-profile awards ceremony to be held in London each year.  The initiative will be known as The LUSH Prize and will be awarded to the most effective projects and individuals working towards the goal of replacing animal use in product safety testing.  The £250,000 fund will be divided into five prizes of £50,000 each and awarded across five distinct categories:

Science Prize –  the development of replacement non-animal tests

Training Prize –  training researchers in non-animal methods

Lobbying Prize –  policy interventions to promote the use of replacements

Public Awareness Prize –  raising public-awareness of ongoing testing

Young Researcher Awards –  to five post-graduates specialising in replacements research

In any year where there is a major breakthrough in 21st Century Toxicology – the area which holds out most hope for a ‘Eureka’ moment where animal tests can be replaced wholesale, the entire £250,000 prize fund will be awarded to the individual or team respsonsible.

You can watch Mark Constantine, the managing director and co-founder of LUSH Cosmetics explain more about the new LUSH Prize below:

I’m applauding LUSH for taking a different direction in the fight against animal-testing, and this is coming from someone who is rarely a fan of their “hard-hitting” publicity stunts and campaigns.  I don’t get morally outraged, I just like to believe that I’m not so completely desensitized to the issues that I need something so brutal to remind me (or the younger fans of LUSH) of it.  I also felt that the window campaign fetishized the issue, I like to think… accidentally, but who knows.

What say you?

I’m not a body lotion type person but I have about four bottles open, each at various stages of emptiness… I slather them on and wander aimlessly across the landing and back, waiting for the icky feeling to subside.  I have to use them because underneath my skin, I have scales.  After showering, the water seemingly dissolves the upper epidermis leaving me feeling more horny toad than supple and soft.

The worst bits are typically in those hard to reach areas, namely that horizontal line that connects both shoulder blades.  As the water evaporates, my skin tightens and I feel a familiar tingle that has me running for the body cremes.  When I say “me”, I actually mean Mr. L… I’ve already said that I can’t reach.  It’s a daily ritual… and one that I’m very grateful that I have a husband to help me with.  I’m so high maintenance.

Enter LUSH’s latest innovation, Ro’s Argan Body Conditioner*.

Taking the hair conditioner theory and applying it to the skin, it’s basically a tub of sweet-smelling, oil-infused skin conditioner that you smear over your body after washing, then rinse off prior to stepping out of the shower.  Towel dry your skin gently and you’ll feel as if you’ve just smothered yourself in a rich body creme.  And unlike last year’s innovation, Toothy Tabs… I’m a massive fan.

A). It smells completely delicious, like a mixture of cocoa butter and roses… truly edible.

B).  It really works.

It feels odd on the skin whilst you’re still in the shower, like you’ve just waterproofed your skin with a slather of grease to be honest.  Deliciously-scented but lardy nonetheless.   As I patted my skin dry with the towel, it felt simply amazing and still does, sitting here 5 hours later. *strokes arms*

A little goes a very long way and the trick is to increase its ‘spreadability’, work with a small amount and don’t be afraid to really eke it out over the skin’s surface.  It’s generously rich in oils and although some parts may feel like you have more product on than others, have faith that you’ve done a good job in spreading the conditioner.  It’s not the cheapest outlay but it will easily last twice as long as my regular body moisturisers PLUS, I don’t have to stand around shivering as I wait for it to sink in!

LUSH Ro’s Argan Body Conditioner is priced at £15.50 for 225g and I highly recommend it for post-shower lizard people.

* press sample

…this year are two great homegrown brands.  Both The Body Shop and LUSH have commissioned their own festive videos for interwebz consumption.

If you haven’t seen them already, you can check out their festive video offerings below:

But which is your favourite Christmas video?

In the words of Harry Hill’s TV Burp… The Body Shop vs. Lush?  FIGHT!

I went to LUSH last week and one of the things that I came out with was this unattractive looking lump.

Looks like something I’d need a poopa scoopa for to be quite honest.

It smells foul too… whenever I have this anywhere near me, I keep getting flashbacks of when I used to empty my ashtrays.  I’m really selling it to you aren’t I?

I can forgive it all this though if it helps my scalp as it claims…

[stextbox id=”custom” bcolor=”b0c4de” bgcolor=”e6e6fa”]Snake Oil treats dandruff and it smells like it means business. Melt it on to your fingertips, then massage it right into your scalp. Leave the lavender, tea tree and peppermint oils to do their work for twenty minutes or so, and then wash it off with Soak and Float shampoo.[/stextbox]

My hair is coloured, if it strips the colour… it’s going in the bin.  I was told in the store that it would be fine with coloured hair… but the SA was a male student with dreads and a vacant expression.  I’m trying really hard not to discriminate.

Have any of you guys tried the LUSH Snake Oil Scalp Massage Bar?  I’m usually a bit rubbish with anything that I need to put on my scalp.  When you have hair longer than a buzz cut, how the hell do you actually get the product onto your scalp and not just all over your hair?

You can buy the LUSH Snake Oil Scalp Massage bar instore or online.  I paid £4.15.

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By the way, I’m on the 4th wash with the Body Shop SLS Free shampoo/conditioner combo and I’ve promised myself 7 washes minimum with each new brand to give it a fair trial.  So far, it’s not looking that amazing…