A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Aside from being completely in love with the name, I’ve fallen pretty heavily for the polish too!

Ciate Velvet Tuxedo is a lovely gunmetal grey with some rather special multi-coloured micro shimmer!  Sadly, the shimmer is pretty much undetectable in my photo so you’ll have to trust me that it’s there if you look closely enough!

The formula on this one was a delight and practically opaque in a single coat.  I did two coats more out of habit than necessity.  So, it’s not a very Spring/Summer shade… but do keep this one in mind next Winter because I can’t see you  being disappointed by its performance!

Ciate Velvet Tuxedo is priced at £9.00 and available to buy online from PowderRooms.

Are you a gunmetal fan?

If pastel pinks are your thing, you’re in for a treat!

Now… I don’t wanna get too cultural about things (says the lady with the degree in Cultural Studies) but DUDE! What’s with calling a Mod Pink “Teddy Girl”… tsk.

Names aside, Teddy Girl is a very striking pepto-bismol pink creme that needs a few coats to rescue it from streaksville.  This isn’t uncommon with these ‘white-out’ shades but it is irritating nonetheless when you get pretty good cover from the first coat.

Once any patches have been evened out, wear is perfectly adequate and the shade is super-striking.  I love combining it with a black outfit to really make my nails POP!

Butter London – Teddy Girl is is available to buy online now from PowderRooms priced at £11.95

Have no real use for your retinas?  Good… read on then…

Eyeko Punk Polish is a searingly obvious fluoro-pink!  If you want people to comment on your tips (I said tips), opt for a shade as blisteringly bright as this one!

As a mega Clash fan, I’m a little partial to the shade that proclaims on its website: “Pink is the only true rock n roll colour” Paul Simonon.

It’s quite thick and needs speedy work to get it to apply nicely… but if you can persevere with the less-than-perfect application, the results are worth it!

Two coats to achieve opacity and perfectly fine wear make this a great Summer choice.  Do combine with a top coat for a glossy finish though, as with most neon or near-neon shades, this has a tendency to dry a little matte.

Eyeko Punk Polish is available to buy online from Eyeko or at the original (pre price-hike price) from PowderRooms.

I told you I had some rather special Butter Londons to show you – how about this one from the new Spring/Summer collection?

Lady Muck is described as a powdery periwinkle blue, slightly on the grey side and infused with pearl pigment for a soft, sexy sheen.

It’s a gorgeous alternative shade for those of us who don’t go for the screaming brights and Easter Egg pastels that are on offer.  Yes, it’s quite a toned-down shade that wouldn’t look out of place in a Winter collection but the silver pearl really lifts the dustiness and gives it a more floaty, ethereal look.

No complaints with either application or wear… there’s something about these greyed-out shades that seem to give me ridiculously good wear.  Very strange but always welcome!

Butter London’s Lady Muck is priced at £11.95 and available to buy online from PowderRooms

The final item I received in my goody bag from the recent Illamasqua Blogger Event was this nail polish…

Don’t be fooled by its demure-sounding name, Purity* is about as vivid as a peach can get!  Not entirely suited to my skintone, I can see this looking freakin’ amazing on dark-skinned sisters.  It’s creamy, opaque and glossy.

The formula was great and the above image shows two coats… longevity has been impressive as I’m on day four of wear and can only see a tiny nick on the tip of one of my fingers…. not even a proper chip and barely any tip wear at all!

A perfect peach of a polish that is guaranteed to turn heads all Summer.

Illamasqua’s polishes may be a little pricey at £13.50, but they back it up with quality formulas and exciting shades.

Illamasqua Purity Nail Polish is available now to buy on counter, instore or online.

* press sample

…and because that name isn’t quite daft enough, I’m also christening it “the polish for women who don’t dig polish”.  Do you think it’ll catch on?

In the same way that I wouldn’t linger about ripping a bandaid off your arm hairs, I’ll also let you know that this bottle will set you back 20 of your British pounds.  Did you catch that?  £20.  For a nail polish.  Not even 15ml of nail polish.  10ml.

Which might go some way to explaining the name that I’ve given this polish.  Forget your Pink Pongs… this is a polish for women who don’t dig polish and I’ll tell you why:

1). It practically applies itself.
2). It doesn’t need a top coat.
3). It was opaque in one coat.
4). It may well survive nuclear war.

It’s the perfect polish for ladies who don’t normally ‘do’ nails but suddenly find themselves with the need for a nail polish that isn’t going to fail them in any way, shape or form.  ByTerry Terrybly Nail Laque in Pink Pong is a practically perfect polish.

But as a chick who digs nail polish and digs applying nail polish… I’d personally rather spend £20 on 3 bottles that give me a bit of trouble when applying, need a top coat but come in a shade that make me go ‘ooooh’!

Quite frankly, I’d feel sick at myself for spending £20 on one nail polish… though perversely, I’m ok with spending £39 on a blush.  Maybe I should just shut up because I’m suffering from a clear case of double-standards.

Terrybly Nail Laque By Terry* is available instore at SpaceNK or online, priced at £20

* press sample

I’m generally quite sold on Eyeko polishes… and for the money, since the reformulation last year they’ve been a good bet.  I’m particularly a fan of  their pastels which can often be hit or miss from all brands thanks to streakiness, thickness of formula to overcompensate or just downright chalkiness.

Eyeko Pastel polish is a pale blue that isn’t chalky!  It’s almost creamy infact…

Not only that but the formula is easily spreadable.  The only area this polish fails a little for me is patchiness.  Whilst not horrific, you can see that after two thick coats… it could do with a third.  There is uneveness and a bit of streakiness going on here.

The pale blue has a gorgeous vivid flash of metallic blue pearl which stops it from looking flat.  If you’re willing to go with three coats on this shade, it’s a total winner in my book.

Eyeko Pastel Polish is available to buy online priced at £3.50  from PowderRooms or £4 direct from Eyeko.

I’m spending the day in Windsor today (official home to the Queen) so I thought that Butter London’s No More Waity Katie would be a very fitting shade for my nails!

A dirty mauve packed with lavender glitter… looks absolutely nothing like it’s promo picture!

The mauve base is awfully sheer… and this polish doesn’t make for a pretty sheer.  In my opinion it ‘needs’ building up and for me, that meant 3 coats on most fingers and an extra one on two of them that still appeared patchy.

The glitter is well… it’s just glitter.  Yes, it’s a nice colour combo and you know I love my dirgy shades but I think I was hoping for something more spectacular… imagine a dirgy version of All Hail McQueen with it’s super fine glitter… yeah, that.

The finish is rough and will need more than one application of top coat to remove the grittiness.  It’s a more understated glitter than most and one that I’d even go so far as to class work appropriate!

Overall, it’s not as regal as I’d hoped… but regardless, it’s already a sell out!

And if you want to get your hands on this limited edition shade, Powder Rooms still has stock!

I’m not ashamed to admit that Estee Lauder had me at Hello with the release of Surreal Violet last year and I’ve been keeping a close eye on new nail polish releases ever since.

Due on counter at the end of the month, the new Pure Color Collection features a total of 16 shades… 8 of which are permanent and 8, limited edition.

Oyster Cult* is a metallic silver with one hell of a shine.  It’s a blinding, blinging shade but not hugely original – it applies well and lasts a good 3/4 days before showing much wear but at £14 a bottle I’m just not sure that there’s enough here to warrant a recommendation over and above any other silver in my collection.

Sizzling Taupe* on the other hand is fairly unique to most other taupes on the market… apart from one.  Zoya Pasha sprung to mind as soon as I applied.  They both have that slightly cool toned edge thanks to the silvery frost that runs through the finish like delicate threads.

I thought I’d do a swatch comparison between the two…

You can see that we’re not really very close to dupe territory when swatched side-by-side.

Estee Lauder’s Sizzling Taupe is darker, more opaque in two coats and doesn’t have the slight violet hue that Zoya Pasha displays.

If you’re a fan of taupes or perhaps just want a beautifully shade that’s safe for work but has a slight ‘edge’ to it then I’d thoroughly recommend Estee Lauder’s new Sizzling Taupe.

Are any of the new Estee Lauder shades catching your eye?

*Press Samples

A few of you asked what nail polish I was wearing in this post, so I thought I’d put up a proper NOTD post to show it properly.

Following conversations with some of you U.S. girls, I’m thinking that this particular line of L’oreal polishes might not be available over the pond.

Maroon Sorbet is such an odd name for something so dark and vampy… sorbet always makes me think of summer!  The shade itself is a blackened purple with ‘hidden’ shimmer.  You may be able to make out a speck of the shimmer on my middle fingernail but it’s really quite subtle which is a shame as a little more visibility would have given this shade the lift it needs.

No complaints here about wear or application – it’s a solid high street polish that won’t break the bank!

L’oreal Resist & Shine Titanium Nail Polish in Maroon Sorbet is priced at around £6 and available at most L’Oreal stockists including Boots.

A pretty mixture of bold brights and pretty pastels make up the new Leighton Denny Spring/Summer collection.

I was sent Berry Nice and Sundae Girl…

Sundae Girl is a mod-pink with blue undertones that pops nicely against my skintone without looking stark or particularly harsh.

The formula was thick yet a little sheer, a slightly strange combination and for a perfect finish it could have done with three coats which I didn’t want to give it because of the thick formula.  Nothing worse than a nail polish that looks like it’s been applied with a trowel.

Having said that, it lasted fantastically well.. 4 solid days before starting to show signs of getting a bit tired and no chipping whatsoever.

Berry Nice is a muted fuchsia and a one-coat wonder!  The down side to only applying one coat would be the visible nail ridges but that’s easily sorted with a quality base coat.

This is a great summer shade for tips or toes and anything that delivers great, glossy creme coverage in a single coat has to be a Summer holiday essential.  Wear was average but probably pretty good considering the single coat – it needed replacing on the 3rd day.

Leighton Denny Expert Nails colours are priced at £11.00 each and available online or instore at  John Lewis & selected Selfridges stores.

Are you liking the look of any of the shades from the Leighton Denny Spring/Summer Gelato Collection?

I would love to tell you about this shade, but I’ve drunk 3/4 bottle of really cheap, crap merlot and it’s taken me a good 5 minutes to make this sentence readable.

What’s that Mr. L?  Vogue are onthe phone?  They want to employ me?  Tell them that I charge double for posts this shiteous.

Right, let me put a bit of effort into stopping these letters dancing around the monitor.

Pearly Queen reminds me of everything I wanted OPI Moon over Mumbai to be… but in less coats.  3 coats gives the elegant finish shown above (though 2 will do if you don’t mind a slight VNL)… and it really is elegant and elongating with a pretty satin finish.  My nails feel proper lady-like without being frou frou or bridal.

Pearly Queen is available to buy online from PowderRooms, priced at £9.75